Worm: one-shots and Ideas
by Zero-metallix
Summary: A collection of one-shots and random ideas i have for Worm. forgive spelling/grammer no beta. All Stories up for adoption.
1. The Wasp

Taylor: The Winsom Wasp

Taylor tried not to fidget as flechette applied the Eyeliner to her face, the older girl had been asked to come along because Taylor still hadn't got the hang of makeup, nearly two years of total social isolation tended to do that, _Thank you very much Emma_.

"I still don't see why i have to do this."

"Its your own fault." Vista looked up from the wig she was trying to Style with Panaceas help "You let your ants eat that guy after all." The younger girl had been sent to keep an eye on Taylor and because the youngest ward was popular with the younger generation. Panacea meanwhile was due to start work soon.

"They did not eat him!" _Nibbled at worse _"besides," she gestured at Panacea "Amy regrew his toes".

_Ok so maybe shrinking a guy down to 1 inch tall and surrounding him with ants till he gave up his boss wasn't a heroic thing to do but he deserved it, _She thought to herself.

That the look on his face had been priceless was only a bonus.

_I am so glad win built that camera into my mask._

Reaching for the blusher Flechette spoke up "Is it just me or is the director getting more creative with her punishments lately?" the other wards nodded.

It was clockblockers fault, after another dressing down for inappropriate comments in public, he had come up with a long and contrived theory that proved 'Miss Piggy had no sense of humor and therefore a soulless abomination sent to torture them all' that he had decided to share with everyone.

Loudly.  
In the ward common room.  
Which was in the local PRT headquarters.  
While the director was in hearing distance.  
Seriously, who knew she could move so quietly?

Since then her punishments to wards who acted up had taken a turn for the cruel, most involved public events and speeches.

Done with the wig Vista passed it to Flechette who spent a couple of minutes pinning it into place.

"Hmm, you know Wasp, blonde really doesn't suit you...or maybe its the mask." Panacea wasn't even trying to hide her amusement.  
Satisfied Flechette nodded to herself "Ok all done, stand up and lets see how you look."

How she looked was, in her opinion, ridiculous and she had to fight the impulse to cringe.  
The "leaf" green dress was backless, which, ok she could understand, she grew wings after all. But there was no reason to show so much skin, her shoulders, arms and most of her legs were bare and the top had required way too much padding to get the right look. _Give me a good armoured bodysuit anyday.'_she thought to herself, _and did they really have to hide bells inside the dress?_

Panacea had been right about the blonde hair, the wig was currently pulled up into a high bun and its bright colour did not suit her skin tone. The domino mask did an ok job of covering her face even if it wasn't the wasp styled full face mask she usually wore.

_At least no one thought to bring a wand _she shuddered and privately swore that should anyone produce anything sufficiently wand like or sparkly that person would find it violently inserted into uncomfortable places.

That was when a grinning Vista drew her attention was a cough and waving the camra she had produced from her bag. It was part of the days PR, she was going to follow Taylor around taking pictures the PRT could use to show 'A ward taking time out to cheer up children at the local hospital'

"Its time to start my shift, are you ready?" looking over to the healer Taylor sighed before nodding, shoulders dropping in defeat. Reaching for her power she rapidly shrank herself down to about 6 inches tall, small enough to play the part but big enough to be seen. as always when she shrank a pair of insect like wings grew out of her back, letting her fly much faster than they should have.  
Landing on Panaceas shoulder, dress ringing like a wind charm, she turned on the tinker device that made her glow faintly and called the butterflies from the box Vista had brought with her.

For the next week she would be making the rounds with Panacea through the various childrens wards entertaining the children while the healer worked.

As they moved through the halls she went over her mental checklist  
_1, Smile._  
_2, Put spiders in Clockblocker bed for this._  
_3, Remember Tinkerbell "can't talk" (thank god)._  
_4, Tell Vista it was Clockblocker who started that rumor._  
_5, Take care not to hurt any of the children. _  
_6, Cover Clockblocker in bees._  
_7, keep an eye on the butterflies. _  
_8, kill Clockblocker!_

It was going to be a long week.

-

This idea came from rewatching Avengers:EMH. I figured it would be amusing to give Taylor all of Wasps canon powers (size change, insect control, flight bio-blasts).

This is just a one shot i wanted to write to help me improve my writing, though i do have some notes for the story (mostly power info and some world info) if anyone wants to run with it.

This was un-beta'd and constructive crits and advice are always welcome.

Edit: forgot to title it, fixed a format issue


	2. The Thunderer - Pt1

The Aesir were not gods, they were born, the lived and eventually they died.

At the end of his very long life Thor Odinson looked up at the midnight sky and out into the universe around him.

He took a deep breath of the cool night air, leaning heavily on the low wall of his balcony and watched the lights of the patrolling guards below him, there torches glowing in the dark city.

He had hoped the night air would help with the restless worry that had been troubling him. Truthfully he longed for battle, a good fight to help clear his mind but the nine realms were at peace and his old body no longer held the strength it once had.

Sighing he turned and walked back into his rooms, letting his mind wander as he made his way through the castle.

His thoughts turned, as they often did these days to the days of his youth; standing tall against the hordes at the gates of Asgard or alongside his mortal allies in the protection of Midgard. The enemies long vanquished and the friends and family lost along the way.

He had always been restless as a child and never quite outgrown it, even now the guards barely reacted to him walking past

them in the middle of the night, they were long used to his walks.

His stubborn refusal to take the throne had often been a source of tension with his father but when Odin went to his eternal rest Thor accepted his duty. He tried to be a good and wise king, following the lessons he had learned, from his father and from his own trials in life and while he had no heirs to take up his throne he knew Asgard would be safe under its new steward.

His only worry was his hammer, Mjolnir, hanging heavy at his his death he feared many would try to seise Mjolnir, the people or Asgard were good people but they were not perfect, and there were many outside its borders that would desire the power Mjolnir could give and though such people would never be worthy of his hammer and unable to wield it they would hurt many in their greed.

His feet had lead him to the bridge that spanned the distance between the city and the Bifrost that sat out in void beyond Asgard, the great rainbow bridge that allowed travel between the nine realms.

He stopped halfway to look into the void beyond, the bridge was safe but anyone foolish enough to fall off into the endless void would be lost to the empty nothingness between worlds.

staring out into the void he smiled as an idea began to form, it was rash and possibly foolish like the ideas of his youth which only made the idea all the more appealing.

He would send Mjolnir, out into the endless space to find a new wielder.

Taking Mjolnir in his hand Thor checked the many enhancements that that been cast upon it throughout the years and while he was not as skilled in the craft as his father or his long departed brother and no one could match the dwarfs who first forged the hammer, he had learnt enough over his life to check and strengthen them as necessary.

As he checked and rechecked the hammer again he realised he was stalling, he chuckled, Mjolnir had been by his side for aeons, forged for him at the command of his father, It would be hard to part with but it had to be done.

Smiling at his actions when he was normally more decisive he drew his arm back and cast Mjolnir into the darkness.

He continued to watch long after Mjolnir was out of sight, until the bells in the city rang in the dawn and disturbed his revere, turning he began the walk back to his throne.

A week later Thor Odinson would pass quietly in his sleep.

Mjolnir flew through the endless void and deep into the multitude of worlds beyond. few had dared travel unprotected through the void and those that had rarely survived. Those who did were never the same, often driven made by the things they saw.

Aeons passed in days, days in centuries, until the hammer reached a world where it could feel people worthy of its power.  
-

I blame bordem, netflix and watching Avengers+EMH and both Thor movies back to back for this, once again this is unbeta'd so constructive feedback is always welcome


	3. Merrie Melodies

"Just shoot the kids. If you find the little bitch, shoot her twice just to be sure." Lung was standing in an car park that was surrounded by tall buildings, the only way in or out was the alleyway for cars.

"Oh God, he was going to kill kids?"

"I'm sorry, but I cant let you do that!" I stepped out from behind lung, sounding a lot more confident than I felt. _Oh my god I'm going to die!_

He didn't quite jump, but he came close. "Who the hell are you? Doesn't matter, kill her."

His men raised there guns and fired. I ran, I wasn't quite dodging the bullets, I simply wasn't where the bullets were. Diving for a nearby manhole, the cover flipped up like a bin lid and slammed closed after me with a clang.

Stepping out of a door of a roof I could feel my power building. I knew Lung got stronger the longer a fight went on and my power had similar rules. _So lets see who's faster. _

Below, Lung and his men were trying to pull up the manhole cover looking for me. Jumping from the roof, I pulled an umbrella from behind me and used it to slow my fall. Landing quietly I walked calmly up to one of the thugs furthest I away from lung.

"What's going on?" I asked.

He answered without turning "Some crazy cape just tried to jump the boss." I couldn't believe this was working.

"Crazy cape? Was she tall?" He nodded. "My height? With long hair?" Realisation started to dawn on him. Before he could do more than turn. I shoved a fizzing red stick into his hands, kissed his forehead and ran.

The explosion knocked most of the thugs down and sent lung flying. When the smoke cleared they were all out cold. I was just about to start zip-tying people when lung exploded. _It_ w_asn't me!_

I wave of fire, centred on Lung filled the car-park. By now the whole area was under my influence and my power was the only reason Lungs men weren't dead.

"GOO ITCH! I KEEL OUU!" Scales were rapidly covering his skin. His face had started to stretch, becoming more _maw _like and slurring his speech. He sent another burst of fire, this time aimed at me. I never had a chance to move.

When the fire stopped I was, literally, ash faced and singed. "Bye!"

Running up the nearest fire escape I found a door on the roof and ran inside, locks were for other people. Lung landed on the roof with a crash and ripped the door open.

I let out a high pitched scream, turning away from Lung and tried desperately to cover my exposed chest. Lung blushed, pulling his head back and slamming the door closed. "Gooury!"

Two seconds later, with a roar of rage, Lung tore the door off its hinges. I was already gone. "You-who! Are you looking for me?" I called, from the roof top on the opposite side of the car-park. I quickly ducked back into the roof access as Lung landed on the roof.

"Over here!" I yelled, from another roof as Lung tore that door of it's hinges. I couldn't keep this up, I was running out of doors.

As I stepped out of a ground floor door and back into the car park Lung landed behind me. He looked more dragon than human by this point. "Hey! Stop messing up my tail!" I gave Lung a hard slap on the snout.

Lung took moment to stare bewildered and cross-eyes at his snout. _Don't let him recover! _

"Now listen here you! You can't just go round setting things on fire and killing people!" Lungs eyes narrowed and I hit him with a rolled up newspaper "No! Bad dragon!" I pointed to a nearby garage that had been smashed open at some point. "Now go to your cave and think about what you have done!"

For a moment, it worked. Head down and tail between his legs, Lung slunk over to the garage. He was halfway there when he came to his senses and sent a blast of fire at me. _Too late!_

While his back had been turned my costume had switched to a fire-fighters, complete with fire-hose. Parked behind me was a fire-truck manned by a team of me, all in identical uniforms.

The water from my hose met his flame halfway. The me on the truck quickly turned the pressure up. The resulting geyser overpowered the flame before hitting Lung and pushing him back into the building behind him.

While I fought to keep the hose pointed at Lung, the 'me' at the pump controls watched the water level in the truck go from full to empty

By the time the water cut off, my power had forced Lung back to human. Before he could get backup I quickly wrapped him from the neck down in chains, with almost a dozen padlocks.

I had just finished zip-tying the last man and my power was starting to recede when I heard a motorbike pull up behind me.


	4. ENTity

When the headaches had first started Max Anders had attributed it to stress, running a large multinational company was a stressful job even had he not been the leader of one of the largest parahuman forces outside of the PRT.

As the days went on they headaches had been accompanied with a trembling in his hands that would pass after a time, overseeing the merger took priority for Max Anders, he would have to make time later for a checkup '_and maybe a weekend away, somewhere nice and tropical_.'

Kaiser couldn't be seen as weak, he would need a reason to see a doctor.

He had been in a business meeting when the headaches had come on full force.

As the meeting went on the pain only got worse, the trembling in his hands started and quickly spread to the rest of his body and everything went black, one of the board members had been quick to notice, quick to call an ambulance and even quicker to leak the news to the other investors.

When Max woke it would be in the hospital.

It had been less than a month since his first seizure and so far nothing had been able to prevent another, he had been lucky to wake up after the first and only the regeneration Othala gave him had kept the others from killing him.

His Empire was barely holding together, news had gotten out and the ABB were pushing his borders, '_the unwashed hordes at the gates'_ he muttered to himself. His 'inner circle' acted loyal but he knew they were biding their time, _if the tumor does not kill me they will._

Othala's regeneration couldn't fix it, he was almost sure she was doing it on purpose '_The foolish girl is too wrapped up with Victor to make such a move without his approval'_ he mused, he needed a second opinion.

"Fuck!" Amy Dallion cursed quietly when she spotted another E88 thug up ahead and lent against the tree behind her, she had been on her feet for nearly six hours before the doctor in charge had demanded she go home and rest, she had been about to leave the hospital when a nurse had approached her.

"Kaiser wishes to meet with you" she had said pleasantly, from her tone she could have been discussing the weather "There is a car outside that will take you to him, do not keep him waiting." Amy had been too stunned to say anything as the nurse turned and continued on her rounds.

sure the Empire recruited anyone who wanted to join, providing you were 'The _right_ sort' but a nurse? how on earth did the woman justify that!?

Staying inside the building she sent a quick message to her sister to come and get her, if he really needed to see her he could come to the hospital like everyone else.

thats when she had spotted the first guy watching her, waiting at the end of the corridor and make no effort to hide.

heading deeper into the hospital where he couldn't follow she left the building through one of the small staff doors and checked her phone, Vicky should have been here by now.

The hospital was a collection of small buildings around a larger rectangular building, the wide front leaving plenty of space for the entrance and ambulance drop off point, at the back there was a small greenery with a large tree in the middle. The exit she had used put her on the back where the smokers on staff would come for a break.

"No Service" she frowned at the message, she never normally had signal problems. movement in the corner of her eye drew her attention, a couple of large men had just come round the building and a glance over her shoulder showed three more from the other side, Kaiser must really be desperate to do something this blatant.

Hitting the built in panic button on her phone Amy took a deep breath before walking away from the building and towards the small patch of grass ahead of her, hoping to appear calmer than she felt.

leaning against the tree she checked her phone "No Service" continued to blink at her, would the Empire have brought some kind jamming device? she hoped not, it could mess with something in the hospital.

as she leant against the tree her hand touched the bark, she felt the familiar pop as her power mapped out the tree in her mind.

/outer bark, inner bark, cell structure, roots pull-/

"What do you want? im done for the day and i don't accept appointments" she barked at the nearest man, the hospital was her territory and she was not going to pushed around by some two-bit gangsters.

She assumed the one who spoke up was the leader "Kaiser wants to see you, he'll make it worth your while."

"I don't accept payment for healing, anyway, you already have a healer" the men shared an uncomfortable glance, she wasn't stupid, even she had heard the rumors even if the Empire was trying to keep it quiet, Kaiser was dying and Othala couldn't do anything for him, her regeneration was too limited. "If Othala was injured then you will need to bring her to the hospital, they can add her to the waiting list"

The PRT had heard the rumours when they caught a couple of men sniffing around Scapegoat. in response they had assigned a couple of agents to watch her incase Kaiser tried anything, she hoped they were ok, they should have noticed something by now.

The leader looked even more uncomfortable "Othala is…..not the issue"

"So what is the problem?" was it wrong that she was enjoying this?

Apparently they weren't, the leader sighed before turning to his men "This is going nowhere. Take her."

Paling she brought her arms up "If any of you touch me i'll switch your eyes for your balls!" they hesitated before one of them pulled a taser and aimed it at her.

frowning in frustration she lowered her hands, putting them on the tree.

Careful to avoid any skin contact they approached her, as the leader reached for her the tree moved.

A branch swung round catching him across the face and knocking him back, they stepped back as the a section of tree opened up.

Branches reached out, twisting round themselves to form arms, a flexible torso covered in hard armour like bark as narrow hips led to wide root like feet while a growth on top formed into noseless face with large eyes. the creature, now almost eight feet tall pulled itself away from the remains of the tree, twigs and leaves on its body quivered as it growled.

for a moment no one moved then either fear of Kaiser, loyalty or stupidity won out and one of them fired their taser at the beast, the prongs hit with a dull thud and sparked uselessly against its wooden carapace.

Roaring in anger it charged.

It reached the man with the taser first, its fist hit like a battering ram and sent him skidding across the ground, its other arm twisted together before striking the other like a whip.

The other two men pulled guns and aimed them at the beast, its whip like arm grabbed Amy and pulled her close while the other reformed into a circular shape as it tried to shield her.

Amy covered her ears as the bullets slammed into her wooden guardian.

Small twigs like spines grew out of its arm before being fired like darts, one of them threw himself to the side as his partner fell.

looking at his now empty gun he glanced at his fallen friends, then to the creature that was straightening itself back up debated his chance of getting away and came to the only rational decision.

dropping his gun he held his hands up, the creature extended a vine that it used to bind his wrists while Panacea checked on his team mates.

"AMY!"

Glancing up Amy was relieved to see her sister before the taller girl landed and swept her up into a hug.

"Oh god i was so worried, you weren't answering your cell then we got a call there was a fight going on!" behind them PRT troops came round the corner only to pull up short at the sight of the creature.

"Its ok, im fine." her tree walked over, watching the scene, its heavy footfalls catching Glory Girls attention.

Gasping at the sight she tried to put herself between Amy and it while the PRT men started to surround it.

"No! hes ok, i...made him" she admitted

Vicky's mouth worked soundlessly before she pulled herself together "you..made?...what is it?"

Watching everything with an air of curiosity the creature tilted its head in thought, it nodded to itself before saying happily in a voice that sounded like branches moving in the wind "I am Groot!"


	5. Life Cycle 1-1

December 2010:

Breaking news; a new weapon that utilised the skills and powers of multiple parahumans seceded in killing the Simurgh.

To date, the Simurgh was the longest surviving Endbringer, having only been defeated twice in her recorded 9 years.

People are reminded to be vigilant.

They were going to leave her in here!

A year of torture had culminated in this. Being stuffed into a locker filled with filth.

**/Host/**

The world fell away and Taylor Hebert screamed.

The students who had been laughing stepped back in shock. Her scream echoed through the halls, filling the building and their minds.

The locker began to distort, the metal warping and buckling before exploding outwards.

Taylor staggered out, head in her hands, her mouth wasn't moving but she was still screaming.

Her dark hair was streaked with white and the skin on her hands and face were paling, going from healthy, even if pale, to the colour of marble. Her shoulders twitched as something shifted beneath them.

Falling to her knees she hunched over as a pair of white wings tore through the flesh on her back. Her shirt quickly gave way. A shockwave passed through the school, rattling the building. The already panicked students ran for the exits.

_/Directive/ _

Knowledge began to flow into her mind, all the possible futures. The actions she would take and the battles she would fight. The all-consuming directive would become her life. Nothing else would matter.

_/Directive/ _

_no._

Her power flew out, grabbing her tormentors. They would be her firsts. She could see it all, there past and future. One little tweak is all it would take to doom the three girls to a life of misery, and she could make it a very long life.

_/Directive/ _

_No._

White eyes focused on Emma, her former best friend. It took no effort to look past the girl, to see what had driven her to become what she had. Looking forward she saw how life could have been if not for the actions of Sophia Hess.

_/Directive/ _

_NO._

Some part of her felt pity over what had happened to her friend, the rest just wished to turn the girl into her first pawn. To continue the directive.

_/Directive/_

_NO!_

"I. SAID. NO!" she screamed.

Taylor found herself standing in a field of swirling white mist. The mist receded, revealing three figures.

One was a grown woman, the other a young girl. Both were pristine white, like the multitude of wings they both possessed.

"Who are you?" Taylor demanded

The two figures spoke in unison. "Simurgh"

Confusion clouded Taylors face before she realised what was happening. Every time an Endbringer died, it was only for a brief time. They would come back a short time later.

This was how. She was going to become the next Simurgh.

So lost in her thoughts Taylor almost missed the movement. The past Simurghs were drifting closer to her slowly. She tried to fight it, to force them back but she might as well tell the tide not to come in.

The child reached her first. Taylor put her hands out to stop her but the moment they touched she saw all the girl was.

She triggered young. Only days after the Simurgh's first death, it's power quickly overwhelming her mind and weaker sense of self. Yet beneath it all, she never lost her sense of playfulness, her time as the Simurgh was the least destructive.

The two minds merged and Taylor felt the girls playfulness bubble up. Bringing with it a warmth she had lost over the year.

When the woman reached her, the process stopped cold.

She had been the first Simurgh and she had embraced the power, revelled in it. She was a cruel woman before she triggered and needed little excuse to cause others pain. She had been the one to kill the other endbringers if they were ever tamed. And she did it, because it was fun.

She smirked. Her wings moved, the larger ones stabbing forward like spears and driving deep into Taylor's body. "Give it up child, this life is mine!"

she could feel the remains of the child cower in fear. Her own mind quickly unravelling.

"This power is mine and I am not going to share it with some brat who couldn't take the jokes about her glasses."

Taylors body started to crumble, dispersing into the mist around her. It started at her arms and legs, working its way in.

Ignoring the woman's rantings, Taylor reached out. Her newly developed telepathy touching mind after mind, looking for a solution.

When her mind felt another cape, it tapped into there power. Stranger/Master/Blaster/Tinker. Her search became more frantic as her sense of self slowly dissolved. She was older than the child had been, more aware of herself.

Her mind was almost gone, dark lines were spreading up her torso as it began break.

A thinker! Seizing the mind, she turned it towards herself. Darkness closed in.

Her wings lashed out, severing her attackers wings and knocking the woman backwards

"What!?"

The mist swirled as Taylors body pulled itself back together. Standing tall, Taylor threw herself at the woman, her wings lashing out.

It was all so clear now, when the Endbringer core carried with it echoes of past hosts. But that's all they were, echoes, they had no power beyond what she gave them.

She tore the older woman apart, dissolving her into the mist around them. This wasn't a merging, she consumed the womans memories and knowledge but not her emotions or personality. When she was finished, only a few grey wisps of mist remained of the woman.

Pulling them into herself, Taylor grimaced. A nasty streak was better than the all consuming hatred the woman had felt.

With the womans death, the mist began to move again. From behind her, a hand reached out of the mist. Sensing it, Taylor caught the creature with her wings before it could touch her.

/Directive./ the creature muttered.

It looked like a twisted version of her. The skin patchy, transparent in some places, grey and cracked in others. As Taylor held it, it reached for her again.

/Directive/

"What are you?"

/Directive!/

reaching for the thinker again, she turned its power towards the creature.

_Representation of the core. Forces the host to obey pre-programmed commands. Incomplete, weak or damaged. Usually uses the confusion of merging to install itself. _

Letting the power go, Taylor stared at the creature. This thing would force her to act like the other endbringers? _Fuck that!_

It dissolved quickly under her mental onslaught, it had no sense of self to protect it. The commands it tried to impose of her were easily disposed of.

Soon all the mist had merged with her, leaving only Taylor and a lot of power.

Opening her eyes, Taylor stood up. Her body had changed, and not just externally, she could feel the changes ongoing under her skin.

Judging by the lockers, she was more than six feet tall, possibly brushing seven. _And naked._ She muttered to herself.

Lockers around her sprung open as she pulled spare clothes towards herself. Pulling the threads apart and reforming them into something that would fit her. This did however bring another problem.

The improved figure was nice, but the wings would really get in the way. Whatever her body was made of now reacted quickly. The excess wings were pulled back into her body, leaving six matched wings on her back. A larger set with two smaller pairs bellow it.

It was shame she couldn't do anything about her colouring. She quickly altered the top she had made so that it was backless, leaving room for her wings and got dressed.

The school was empty, the students and teachers had long since fled. But she could feel the minds of others gathering round the school. _The PRT. _

Thinking about how to best approach them, she lost herself in all the possible futures. Pulling herself back to the now, Taylor realised she could see the future, the past or the present. But not at the same time. She could only look in one 'direction at a time'.

Shrugging, she walked out of the school. The charged crossbow bolt caught her between the eyes.


	6. The Thunderer - Pt2

I was walking through the streets desperately trying to go unnoticed, it wasn't late but being winter it was already dark out.

I had spent the better part of the day at the library nearest to my home and got caught up in what I was doing; the old woman running the desk would let me have some extra time on the computers in exchange for help putting books away and I'd ended up staying much later than I planned, it was well past my unofficial curfew.

Glancing around I checked the street around me, the library was in walking distance of my home, maybe 10 minutes at most and safe enough if you paid attention during the day but this was still gang territory and dad would worry that I wasn't home before dark.

He worried about me a lot these days.

I should have told him about the bullying but I there was nothing he could do to stop it and I didn't want to make him worry. It didn't work, of course, he knew something was wrong but wouldn't ask, not that I'd tell him.

And then the locker had happened, an hour stuffed in a locker full of…waste…the thought of it still made me shiver, followed by 5 days in a hospital because of the infections I picked up.

I stopped at a crossing to consider my options, the quickest way home from here involved a lot of dark, blind alleys while the safer route would add almost another 10 minutes to my walk.

Sighing I took the longer route, dad would worry but maybe knowing I took the safer route down the well-lit streets would help calm him down.

"Maybe I should ask for a cell-phone?" I muttered to myself, dad didn't like them but being able to call and let him know I'm ok and maybe ask for a ride would help convince him.

There was a crash in the distance that almost made me jump out of my skin. Whatever it was, it sounded like it was in the direction of the docks. Shrugging it off I carried on my way.

I was just starting to calm down when the first arrow hit the wall next to me. Surprised I turned around. The shooter was on a roof on the other side of the road, crossbow in hand, readying another shot! I was running before I even had a chance to think.

Someone was shooting at me!

No one was going to help if I screamed, not that I could spare the breath, I was never very athletic.

There was an alleyway coming up on my left, maybe I cou- the shot missed my right shoulder by inches and I dived down the alley with an extra burst of speed.

As I left the ally the nearest street light went out with a pop and the sound of shattered plastic and I ran in the opposite direction. My legs were burning when the next shot forced me down a long dark alley behind a row of houses that led towards the docks.

At the end of the ally I turned towards home again and forced myself to run faster, ignoring the sounds of an arrow hitting the wall behind me, I refused to be lead through the streets like a fucking lamb.

Ducking behind an open dumpster I tried desperately to catch my breath, I needed time to think, if I could just, an arrow punched through the thin metal missing me by inches and I took off down the alley.

When I reached the next intersection an arrow whizzed past, I ignored it and pressed on, too scared to care anymore. The arrow hit my upper arm with a sickening thwack and I stumbled before dropping to my knees.

Too breathless to scream and numb from adrenaline, I forced myself up and started to run again, my hand clutching my arm tightly trying to stop the blood that was seeping through my fingers.

I was barely thinking now, just running wildly, turning whenever an arrow missed, leading me deeper into the docks with my attacker nipping at my heels.

I was slowing now, each breath was getting harder, another turning brought me to an abandoned office, my legs felt like lead and my vision was starting to swim. I might have been crying.

I staggered into the office, the front door had been kicked in at some point and a stylised "V" had been painted on the wall next to it, I was too out of it to really care what it meant.

It had been a warehouse with attached office at one point, probably some shipping company or another that hand survived the collapse of the docks.

The front door led into a small reception, leaning heavily on the wall I made my way through the building, I couldn't feel my arm anymore and my legs hurt with every step that echoed loudly as I stumbled down the corridor that ran the length of the building, small offices took up the wall facing out on to street. There was a lot of dust in the air. I could hear someone behind me; they made no effort to be quiet.

I forced a door open and found myself in the main store house, a few empty crates were scattered around and I struggled to breathe through all the dust.

I could see a door on the far side behind the remains of the roof that must have fallen in at some point. I was barely halfway there when my legs gave out.

I landed on my knees, putting my hand out to catch myself before falling, onto my good side.

"Fuck Taylor, never thought a wimp like you would get this far, figured you'd curl up and cry after the first shot" I knew that voice but i couldn't remember where, everything was fuzzy, like it was happening off in the distance.

Thick combat boots came into view with the hem of a heavy cloak "This is your fault you know, if you had just kept your mouth shut" she kicked me hard in the stomach, I felt something crack as the force rolled me onto my back. "This wouldn't have happened-"

The pain jerked me back into the now and brought with it a wave of anger that cut through noise in my head. Ignoring her I groped about for anything I could use without drawing attention.

My hand closed around something amongst the rubble and the world exploded.


	7. Jellicle

**jellicle **  
_

"And it's safe?"

"No procedure is completely safe. We have, however, made changes to the formula that have greatly improved the results, we can trade power for stability"

"And you can deal with the hospital?"

"Certainly. Have you made a decision?"

"Yes... Make it as stable as you can. I don't care about power."

"And the payment?"

"I'll do whatever you want, I... I just want my daughter back."

"Very well. It has been a pleasure doing business with you, mister Hebert."

-  
Years later

"Taylor! Hey Taylor! you will never guess what."

"Dean is trying to get in your pants?"

"Ok that is so bullshit, how did you know? And he is not trying to get into my pants. He respects me"

Closing her locker, Taylor Hebert rolled her eyes at her friends behaviour.

"Oh please. I can smell the hormones on him whenever he gets close, not to mention, i don't think i've ever seen him keep eye contact."

Now it was Emma's turn to roll her eyes. "And you wonder why no one ever asks you out?"

With a shrug, Taylor ignored her smaller friend and made her way to class.

She listen to the teacher with one ear, literally, one ear turned to face him while the other turned to catch the occasional snippet of conversation from the students around her.

Ian Miller was staring at her again, she could hear his heavy breathing and smell his attraction. It made her skin crawl.

After she had triggered, it had taken months for her to adapt to the enhanced senses.

Having a sense of smell so strong you could walk through a room blindfolded sounded great until you walked past a loo. Nowadays, she was long used to blocking out the excess information her sense were feeding her.

A particularly strong smell reached her and she wrinkled her nose in disgust. How could somebody do that in the middle of class?

Shifting in her seat, she moved her tail to a more comfortable position. Even Arcadia couldn't afford to buy 'tail friendly' chairs.

Technically she was a case 53, her appearance had been permanently changed after her trigger and the memories of her early life were spotty. Her last clear memory was of screeching tires and the sound of crumpling metal.

Thankfully the changes were outwardly limited to a pair of cat ears, that had replaced her human ones and a tail. Beyond that the other changes were minor mostly limited to silted pupils and better muscle definition. Emma said the end result made her look great, being able to pick up and throw a man twice her size was just a bonus.

And that was where i ran out of steam.

I took my sister to see the stage show 'Cats' over christmas and decided to make a 'Catgirl!Taylor" but I couldnt get beyond the initial idea.

Taylor was in the car with her mum when the car accident happend, Taylor survived but was left in a bad state. Cauldron sold Danny a vial in exchange for his help. Taylor never went to camp so Emma never got attacked, after Taylor 'triggered' Emma put more effort into her school work so they both went to Arcadia (I never decided if Taylor joined the Wards but given her age when she triggered it made sense.)

I was planning to use Blake from Rwby for Taylors personality. physicaly Taylor isnt that diffrent to Canon, she has better muscle tone, cat ears, a tail and no longer wears glases but thats it.

If anyone wants to run with the idea, go for it.


	8. Life Cycle 1-2

**Life Cycle  
1.2  
_**

Stumbling backwards, Taylor franticly reached for the bolt, only to feel smooth skin. Calming down slightly she looked at the door in front of her. She hadn't even opened it. What happened?

Turning her attention to the past, she realised her focus had slipped into the future.

Reaching out with her mind, she felt the PRT and protectorate forces that were currently surrounding the building. One of them stood out against the rest. Shadow Stalker, Sophia Hess.

She clamped down on her temper before she did something she probably wouldn't regret. She was in enough trouble as it was, going out and flaying Sophia alive, even if she did try... was going to kill her? _What was the right tense_. She asked herself.

_Ok, Calm down._ The PRT were outside, waiting to see what she would do. Leviathan had been the first to be 'tamed' and he proved it by making a water display, set to music, in the middle of down town New York.

With a thought, a white board was pulled from the wall and sent outside. Using her foresight, she carefully wrote a message on the board.

_Hello! :)  
Safe.  
Not a villain.  
Don't shoot. _

She left if floating in front of them as she made her way outside. She paused briefly at the door to tweak a few things, just to be sure. Walking outside, she kept her hands up and her wings tucked close to her body.

For a moment. No body moved. On the closest rooftop, Shadow Stalker pulled the trigger on her crossbow, causing several things to happen in quick succession.

One of the limbs keeping the bow string snapped. The tension on the string cause the limb to hit her in the face. Shocked and in pain, Shadow Stalker staggered to the side, her cape caught on something and she fell from the roof top. On instinct, she shifted to her shadow state to slow her fall. She still landed in an open dumpster, causing the lid to fall shut on her.

After watching the display, everyone turned back to a sheepish looking Simurgh

_"In my defence, she __did __try to kill me."_

was scribbled on the board.

(One week Later)

Walking into her office, Sarah Pelham did her best not to flinch.

She knew the girl wasn't really the Simurgh. For one thing, at nearly 7 foot tall, she was smaller and only had 6 symmetrical wings on her back. But finding her sitting there waiting in her office, with the pure white skin and hair that haunted so many people, was more than a little disconcerting.

"Good afternoon, miss..Herbet?" she forced her self to calm down and took a seat opposite the girl. "How can I help you?"

The girl smiled politely before gesturing to a notepad, a pen lifed itself up and began to write.

"_Hebert.__ And please, call me Taylor. I would like to join New Wave."_

"Y-you wish to join? Forgive me for asking but wouldn't the PRT be a better fit for someone of your... strength?" This was silly, the girl hadn't done anything wrong. There was no reason to be afraid. She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down.

"_There are issues preventing me from joining the wards." _the pen had hesitated before writing 'issues' and pressed much harder than necessary.

"_It's best for everyone if I join a hero team, i'm too young for the Protectorate and I can't work with the wards. My identity is already public and its not like I can hide"_

"When you say 'best for everyone' do you mean in the future?"

"_Yes"_

Right, foresight, a useful power. Though New Wave would have to be careful not to abuse it. Dispute her size, the you woman in front of her was still just a child, younger than her eldest. It wouldn't do too put her under too much stress.

It took her a moment to realise, she was already planning how best to make use of the girls power. She wasn't even a member yet. But really, the girl was not her predecessor, as a hero she could do a lot of good.

She stood to shake the girls hand. "Very well miss- I mean Taylor, welcome to New Wave."

an: i didnt want to leave Life Cycle on a low note so i quickly wrote this out.


	9. Keelah se'lai

Bored, stumbled onto a couple of pics on DA that inspired this.

**_**  
**keelah se'lai**

It was truly amazing, the diseases you could find in biological waste. Even worse when it has been left to ferment for a week.

Still, her power had dealt with that problem by purging her body of... everything really.

Behind her, Amy Dallon, the healer known as Panacea, stood ready to help. Amy was one of the only people she could risk being around, even if she had to wear a wet suit to avoid bringing contaminants in on her clothes.

Ignoring the shorter girl, Taylor started to get dressed. First came the black body suit, it covered her thin body from neck to toe, no skin could be left exposed.

Strictly speaking, she was a tinker, her first design had been her costume. The PRT had funded its construction, reparations for what the Ward had done to her.

Next came the gold neck brace, built in sensors would monitor her vitals.

She spent hours in that toxic sludge.

A cloth wrap went around her body, it was purple with a subtle pattern and gold trim on it to break up the black. It also had a hood that she left down for now, gold broaches attached it to the front of her body suit, just bellow her neck. Belts, buckled below her chest held the rest of the wrap in place.

Her immune system was gone, she spent a week in a self contained bubble, talking through an intercom and the computer they had set-up for her. Amy had spent weeks trying to find a solution, everything from 'friendly' symbiotic bacteria to simulated infections had failed.

Thick boots covered her feet, complete with shin-guards.

Her first few designs had switched between full on power amour to more subtle, low profile, body suits. Eventually she had settled on something in-between.

Thin cloth gloves that reached just above her elbows were next, on top of which she wore armoured gauntlets. Both had built in computers that would hook into her HUD.

She felt a twinge of regret as she pushed her hair back. Long hair just wouldn't be practical anymore, her long curly hair had been reduced to a short pixie cut.

This would be the hardest part, to put her new helmet on she would need to take her rebreather off.

Amy brought both parts of the helmets closer. A quick touch was all she needed to purge any bacteria from Taylor's skin and body.

With a nod, Taylor a deep breath and removed her mask. Moving quickly the two girls quickly fitted and locked the back half of her mask in place.

The time spent together had done both girls good. Taylor got a friend and Amy was able to sneak off and spend time just relaxing with the taller girl.

As Taylor locked the front of her mask in place, it dawned on her, no one would ever see her face again. Her visor was tinted from the outside, only her shining eyes would be visible now.

With a sigh, she pulled her hood up.

As they left, Amy turned to her, "Would you... like to get coffee or something some time?"

Beneath her mask, Taylor smiled. Some times you had to take the good with the bad.

So yea, no beta (again) i was just typing this as it came to me. Taylor is a tinker who can build ME tech and is really good at fixing/keeping tinker tech running. i've always assumed Amy can't fix case 53's, that there bodies would slowly revert back, that applies to Taylor here.

(yes, Tali was always my fave ME Chara, i actualy have notes for a couple of ME fics laying around somewhere)

I know Taylor is proud of her hair and in canon Tali also has long hair. personaly i dont see how that could be comfterble, long term, with a full head covering.


	10. Shield Maiden

this idea has been bugging me for days now.  
Warning: no Beta.

* * *

**Shield Maiden**

"Ladies and gentlemen. This is a robbery. lay down on the ground and none of you will be hurt, we are just here for the money."

The voice shouted through the darkness and I mentally cursed myself. The one day Dad asks me to run to the bank and it gets robbed!

Once everyone was laying down, the darkness rolled back showing the robbers. A group of teens, close to my age, were standing in the middle of the bank flanked by a pair of monsters.

The man in bike leathers began to give orders to the others, I could see the darkness seeping out of his costume. He had covered the doors and windows in thick roiling clouds of darkness.

Next to me, a mousy girl with frizzy hair was messing with her phone. "What are you doing?" I hissed quietly. A thin boy dressed like something out of a ren-fair, complete with septor was walking through the hostages, occasionally podding them with it.

"Calling for help," The girl muttered. There was something familiar about her.

My arm twitched and I looked up to see fairy-boy looking at me. "Ah-ah, no talking." I threw him a dirty look and moved a bit closer to the other girl.

The Protectorate would be here soon, if I just stayed quiet maybe I could get out of this without someone getting hurt.

On cue, the guy in leather walked over to the windows. His darkness apparently didn't affect him as he cursed at something before shouting to the others. "Fuck! the Wards are here."

I could hear them arguing but I mostly tuned it out. "Don't be a hero," I hissed. "You will just get someone hurt."

The girl turned to face me, "I AM a hero," she hissed back. It took me a second to place her, she was Panacea, a member of New Wave before the group folded last year.

If she was here, then her sister couldn't be far. Fuck, the last thing anyone needed was her putting holes in the walls.

The boy in leather shouted to the hostages. "Alright, listen up! Some of you are going to line up by the door. You will walk out of the bank towards the Wards, when I say so, you will lay flat on the ground. Do not try to run, stay still and you wont be hurt."

_Fuck!_ I didn't really have any choice. I mentally prioritised them all and then I moved.

Pushing myself up off the ground I summoned my costume. Countless forcefields, each no bigger than a finger nail encased my body. I was careful to shape them to give the impression of armour over my chest and head. I'd practised this so much I could do it without even thinking.

"Shit! Grue stop her!" The blonde girl shouted but it was already too late. A dozen spheres, the size of a tennis ball appeared and threw themselves at them.

The distraction was all I needed to shield the hostages with my forcefields, with them safe I turned to the Undersiders. The Spheres shattered into thousands of smaller ones and swarmed the fairy boy and blondie.

'Grue's' darkness surged towards me and I quickly threw up another field to block it. Extending it on the top and sides, boxing him in.

With his escape cut off, I started to shrink the field around him while reassembling my forcefield swarm into boxes around the other boy and blondie.

Behind me, hellhound whistled. It was the only warning I got before her dogs jumped on me. I brought my arms up to protect myself but the glowing blue forcefields that covered my body were enough to protect me.

Brutes were easy to deal with, Hellhound and her dogs were almost immediately trapped in their boxes.

"well," I muttered, "That was a thing..." I dropped the shields that had been protecting the hostages but made sure to keep the Undersiders boxed.

Cut off from Grue, the darkness lining the walls was starting to disperse. Now they could see inside the bank, the Wards made their way inside. Glory Girl came flying in ahead of them.

"Amy!"

"I'm here!"

"Oh thank god, are you hurt? I was so worried!"

I watched as Glory Girl made a fuss over her younger sister with a slight pang of jealousy. Must be nice having team mates you can rely on. I was so distracted I never noticed Aegis walking up to me.

"Chell, Thanks for your help. How long can you keep them locked up?"

"Hours, easy. But if you want, I'll make a hole for you to spray containment foam through."

"That would be perfect thanks."

as each PRT agent got close to a box, I opened a small hole, just wide enough for them to insert the nozzle of a foam sprayer. Once they were done, I dropped the fields, leaving each of the undersiders trapped in a carefully shaped block of foam.

"Where the shapes really necessary?" Aegis groaned.

I shrugged, I hadn't been able resist. If nothing else, Vista thought it was funny.

"Look, thanks for your help. Really, but I've got to ask if you would be willing to come back to headquarters with me and if you had considered joining the Wards.

I shook my head. "No."

"No, you wont come with me or no you join the Wards"

"Both. I told you last time, there's some shit I refuse to deal with." I nodded towards Shadow Stalker who was glaring at me from the bank doors.

I turned to leave but was stopped by Glory Girl. "Chell right? I heard about you on PHO, did you really cut Lung in half?"

"Umm...No, it was Oni-Lee..." Would I ever live that down? "It was just a clone..." I muttered, and I was much more careful now.

Glory Girl just smiled broadly and handed me a piece of card. "Here, give me a call later, there's some stuff we need to talk about."

Between awnsering questions and people in the bank who wanted to thank me, It took me nearly an hour to get out of the bank.

Giving up on subtlety I flew most of the way home. Technicly it wasn't flight. My entire costume was made of forcefields that I could control so I just lifted them, and by extension myself. I could also fake super strength that way.

Landing not to far from home, I dispelled my costume. My clothes were a wrinkled mess but nothing that would matter.

"I'm Home!" I called as I walked through the back door. I was just starting to raid the fridge when mum walked in.

"hello Taylor. You're late, anything happen at the bank?"

* * *

AN:

So yea, Narwhal!Taylor with abit of AU thrown in. I may write a second part.


	11. Sibling Rivalry

**Sibling Rivalry**

She shot him.

Her hands were shaking, she put her costume away and retreated to the showers.

_She_ shot him.

This was messed up, it was all going wrong. There was so much blood.

She _shot_ him.

He'd be alright, those leathers he wore were practically body armour, right? And his team wasn't far away. Coil was going to fucking pay when she got hold of him. He'd be alright

She shot_ him._

Things had always been rough at home. one day, sick of dealing with her mothers shit, she tracked down her father. The man had been less than useless but her half brother had been glad to meet her.

He had shown her a few tricks and even invited her to spend time with him and Aisha.

Standing under the spray she didn't know if she should laugh or cry.

Brian had gotten himself mixed up with Coil who had somehow found out about her. Now if the pair of them didn't cooperate Aisha would be the one paying.

"Erm... Sophia? You okay in there?" Vista asked from the doorway

"Fuck off!" She snapped. Coil wanted her in the Wards, that didn't mean she had to be nice about it. He didn't own her.

She ignored the younger girls response.

The deal had been simple enough, Brian worked for Coil and in return he got job he could go to social with. Then Coil had demanded she join the Wards.

_She shot him._

Another 'simple' plan. He staged an attack on some guy and his daughter and she came to the rescue. Problem was, she had hesitated and when the guys brat had demanded answers she had said the first bullshit that came to mind. And the stupid bitch had swallowed it!

Now she was stuck with the little psycho while pretending to toe the line for the Wards. Distancing herself from her half-brother had been easy, she just mouthed off at anyone who mentioned the Undersiders and made a few vague threats at Grue.

He was her big brother, she loved any excuse to put him on his ass but not like this.

Then just over an hour ago she had run into him in costume and that stupid bitch Emma had been there so she couldn't just back down and let him go, it wouldn't fit her image. This had to be Coils doing, he always knew where she was. He probably set this up just to remind her who was boss.

Leaving the showers, she made her way back to her room. She spent more time here than at home these days, another of Coils recommendations.

Her phone was on the bed with a message waiting.

B is fine, we need to talk – TT

the knot of tension in her gut loosened and just for now, she could almost forgive the blonde bitch for anything. Coil, however, was still a dead man.

* * *

**AN:**

So i had to make this very AU for this to work.  
Sophia and Brian are half siblings, they have the same father, Sophia doesn't have any other siblings and her home life is bad.

she tracks down her biological father and meets Grue, they get along well but Grue's desperation to help aisha (and possibly sophia) he ends up going to coil and now they both work for him, weither thay like it or not.

Emma's attack happend later, closer to sophia to joining the wards.

if anyone else wants, feel free to run with the idea. i doubt i will ever continue it, im not a fan of Grue or Sophia.


	12. I Burn

Plot bunny that wouldn't leave me alone so I turned it into a one shot.  
(Warning, no beta)

I Burn.

The warehouse was in a bad side of town, close to the docks.

From the outside it looked like just another of the many vacant buildings around it. The windows were boarded up 'For Rent' signs across the front. Graffiti covered covered most of the walls.

Walking round the building, i noticed light spilling out through gaps in the boarding. What drew my attention was the stylised wolf head, with EEE in it's mouth, hidden amongst the graffiti. Hookwolf

Finding a door that wasn't blocked up, I banged my fist on it. A small hatch opened and a pair of eyes gave me a dismissive look. "You're a little young aint ya?"

Ignoring the question, I held up some money. A roll of fifties I took off an Empire thug last week.

Grunting, the man grabbed the money and opened the door. He barely spared me a glance as I walked past. He was too focused on counting his money. Immediately inside, i turned and went up the stairs.

Growing up, I'd listened to Dad and his friends from the docks talk about places like this. The news networks called them 'underground arenas, Illegal blood sports, and fight clubs.' The people who came here just called it The Pit.

The entire ground floor had been cleared and wooden walls had been erected to create a large box. on the first floor, the floor had been torn up to let people look down into the arena.

The first floor was packed with people who were doing just that. Pressed in tight, they shouted and screamed as a pair of men beat each other bloody. The smell of sweat, blood and mold filled the air along with the stink of a nearby generator that was providing power to the lights.

Standing at the back of the crowd, I made sure my scarf was in place for when my hood came loose.

Below me, one of the fighters had stopped moving. Once it was clear he wasn't going to get up, a section of the wall was moved aside and a pair of men carried him away while the victor staggered out under his own power.

A man stepped out onto a wooden platform that stuck out over the pit, "AAAAAALLLLRRIGHT! Victory goes to 'Crusher' krill!" He shouted.

"I know you're all here for the big event, but first! some entertainment." behind him, the crowd parted and two young women were lead towards the edge of the pit.

Both were young, pretty and terrified. One looked japanese, her long dark hair was matted with blood and there were tear stains on her cheeks. The other girl was taller and had to be restrained by two men as she continued to thrash and hurl abuse at her captors and her dark skin was marred with bruises.

I started to push my way through the crowd as the 'commentator' turned to the girls.

"Okay ladies, It's quite simple. Two in, one out. Understand?" The taller girl said something that was lost to the noise of the crowd and the commentator laughed. "Oh, and just in case you get any ideas. If you refuse to fight, we'll let the dogs have you both. You have 3 minutes."

With that, both girls were pushed over the edge and allowed to drop into the pit.

giving up on subtlety I grabbed the nearest person, a large man with tatoos on his neck. In one movement, i picked him up and threw him at the commentator. The two collided with a satisfying crunch and fell into the pit below.

The crowd parted and i took two brisk steps forward and jumped. The wooden platform creaked as I landed on it. The anger I felt at these people helped fuel the warmth in my body.

I didn't trust my voice not to waver so I kept things simple, "Leave...NOW!" My eyes flashed red under my hood.

There was a moment of stunned silence from the crowed before several people laughed. I tried to ignore the rush of embarrassment. A large man in loose fitting pants and a tiger mask stepped forward and bringing his foot down on the edge of the platform. The wood shattered and dropped me into the pit.

"Fifty grand for whoever deals with the nigga-lover!" he shouted as I landed.

Three men immediately jumped in after me. Trying to look tougher than I felt i walked slowly around the ring, putting myself between the other girls and the thugs.

Aparently forgetting I had just thrown a man, two of the thugs laughed while the third charged at me and the crowd screamed.

As he swung at me I stepped forward into the punch, putting off balance and punched. Hard.

There was the sound of breaking bones and he flew across the ring, hitting the wall with a dull thud.

His friends had a moment to look surprised before I was on them.

Closing the distance I caught the first in the stomach, doubling him over. The last thug lashed out, hitting me in the side of the head.

I took the hit and rolled with it. spinning around I brought the back of my head into his head. As he hit the floor, I punched the wall in front of me. There was a flash of flame and the wood exploded.

"Go!" I shouted to the girls. The taller girl immediately grabbed her friend and pulled her towards the opening.

More men jumped down and I stepped back from the hole. I needed to buy those girls some time to get away so I couldn't escape.

This time, they came at me in groups. Mostly they got in each other's way. The world was a mess of limbs as I ducked and weaved about. Blocking what i could and moving with the blows when I couldnt.

Slowly, I took control of the fight, moving towards the centre of the ring. With every punch I blocked, every hit I took, the world got slower. Taking the energy from their attacks I got stronger and faster. The heat in my body was building rapidly and my hair was starting to glow.

Walking in here tonight, I had been nervous, almost scared. Now all that was lost to the thrill of the fight.

Hitting out at the nearest thug my fist exploded. A ball of fire and concussive energy throwing him back. I let the recoil throw me into a spin, lashing out with my foot caused another explosion and put the ganger into orbit.

Deciding to make a point, I punched the ground below me. A wave of fire and force radiated outwards, sending everyone but me flying and shattering the wooden walls of the arena.

My fire only burned what I wanted it too.

Above me, the crowd had scattered. Only those who belonged to the Empire had stuck around when it became clear this was a cape battle.

Stormtiger hit the ground opposite me. He didn't move at first, instead he hung back, sizing me up. Maybe he was hoping my power would wind down if he waited? Not a chance.

"You're strong. Join, or die."

With my hood up, all he could see were two glowing red eyes under my hood. "Go to hell."

He shrugged, "The nigger and the chink won't get far, my men will see to that."

I almost didn't see him move. He punched the air in front of him and a ball of condensed air smashed into my chest.

The blow knocked me off my feet and sent me skidding across the floor. Any of his men that were caught in the blast fared no better.

I rolled to a stop and tried to climb to my feet but he had already closed the distance between us. He must have been using his power to move that fast.

Caught off balance, i was forced to roll and dive frantically until I created a blast of fire that put me in the air and force him back.

I managed to land on my feet and bring my arms up to guard myself before he closed in again.

I dodged a couple more hits before he slash across my forearms. His 'air claws' carved deep furrows into my arms and i had to bite back a scream as another air blast sent me flying.

When the world stopped spinning, I was on my back looking up at the ceiling two floors above me. I could feel the wounds on my arms already starting to heal.

I climbed, unsteadily, to my feet. smoke was pouring out of my hood. Across from me, Stormtiger smirked.

I wanted to wipe that face right off his expression….Er….I shook my head to clear it.

I'd had "Enough!"

As I shouted the word, I punched the palm of my hand. Fire erupted around me and my hair burst into flames, destroying my hood. I charged forward, fire exploding from my feet driving me forward.

Shocked, Tiger fired more blasts at me. Too slow! His only ranged attack was his air blasts, powerful but they moved in a straight, predictable line.

Dodging from side to side, I stepped around his blasts, rapidly closing the gap between us. He switched back to his claws, swiping for my neck.

Ducking under the swipe, I rammed my fist into his stomach. The explosion knocking him back. I closed in again and rained down hit after hit, the air condensing around him like a shield. A powerful blast of air pushed us apart. It was a desperate move and most of the energy was wasted.

Not giving him the chance to recover, I blasted towards him. Pulling my arm back I forced as much energy as I dared into the blow. I hit his face with an explosion that lit up the entire warehouse and sent him through the same door I'd come in through.

I held my breath, Stormtiger stirred and tried to stand until half a brick, thrown by one of the girls I'd saved, hit the side of his head and he stayed down. Breathing heavily, I let the fire go out. Releasing the energy I'd built up through the fight.

"Well…" I said, "That was a thing."

* * *

SPOILER Powers  
So, i gave Taylor a power based on Yang from Rwby.

Details.

Enchanced speed and strength (at rest, she's still strong enough to pickup and throw a large man)

Enchanced durability, well above human norms.

Energy absorption - She absorbs the energy from attacks and uses it to boost her speed/strength/durability. She can also use this stored energy to power a couple of other abilities. as she stores energy, her hair glows and even catches fire.

Fire - Taylor can chose if her fire burns things or creates a concussive force. She can use that force to push/throw herself or other around. This is powered by the energy she absorbs. She can expel this fire/energy from any part of her body.

Regeneration - This is directly powered by the energy she stores


	13. Succubus

Here is the snip I was working on. I still need to iron out the details for the story but I already have enough for a couple of short chapters.

No name yet.

##

Stupid, stupid, stupid! Why did I bring it to school? I should have known Emma and her friends would find it. My locker wasn't safe, I knew that but I just couldn't put the stupid thing down.

I paced up and down the girls bathroom while I tried to control the panic. I'd brought the book to school with me today, I'd hoped to find some time to read it during lunch but now Emma had it.

Having a book to read was nothing unusual for me. Ever since Emma had turned on me, along with most of the school, I didn't have much else to do but read. The problem was the subject of the book.

When I'd picked it up, I just thought it was a generic Science fiction story and the synopsis on the back had been interesting enough for me to buy it. What the cover didn't mention was aside from the interesting characters and battles to save the galaxy was steamy, toe curling sex scenes between the lead and her lover. _Dad nearly walked in on me twice!_

It's not like I could just go home. They would only be waiting for me when I finally returned!

I need to calm down, I moved to the sink and tried washing my face. Panicking wouldn't help any. Putting my glasses back on, I looked at myself in the mirror.

Tall, stick thin with a too wide mouth. The most feminine thing about me was my hair and even then, stress was starting to take its toll. I'd been forced to shorten it a bit after someone singed it.

In a fit of anger, I punched the mirror in front of me. The mirror cracked and pain shot up my arm. Blood was already starting to run between my fingers, I quickly turned the tap on and stuck my hand under the water.

I let out a small hiss and started trying to clean the wound, still cursing Emma and my life. Oddly, I felt better. Actually, I felt good. Really, really good.

_As Lita deftly sutured the wound with practiced movements, _

_London bit her lip, holding back the moans of ecstasy._

A passage from the book came to mind and I giggled slightly. Either I was suddenly a masochist or adrenalin was making me giddy.

The feeling of warmth was starting to spread through my body, pooling between my legs. More passages came to mind, mixing with the pain, anger and frustration. I should be panicking, something was clearly wrong with me but it just felt so good.

As the heat built between my legs, I grabbed the sink for support. Thats when I saw the markings on the back of my hands. They looked like scales and as I watched, I could see them growing more visible. The skin around them paleing to a grey colour. _What is this?_

I screwed my eyes shut and tried to block out the warmth. I had to stop, What if someone came through the door? I bit my lip to stop myself from moaning.

The warmth shifted and I could feel my chest pressing against my clothes. the shifting cloth sending sparks of electricity through my body. My clothes were starting to pinch and pull in places, the feeling only pushed me further.

My back twitched and I heard the sound of tearing cloth. I was nearing my limit, everything felt wrong but so good and the fire in my body was drowning out everything but the delicious feelings in my core that was edging ever closer. The world went white.

The release hit with all the force of a bomb and I struggled to stay standing, the sink was the only thing keeping me standing.

By the time I could think straight, I was still breathing heavily and everything felt different. My clothes were pinching me and I could feel a draft across my torso. Slowly, I opened my eyes and gasped at what I saw.

_I'm huge!_

The girl looking back at me was part Barbie doll, part fitness instructor with some lizard thrown in. I slowly moved my eyes downwards as I studied my reflection.

My skin was pale, bordering on grey but with a healthy shine. The colour made my now red eyes stand out and there was a glowing ring in each eye.

I had horns on the sides of my head. They curled forward and down so the point was level with my mouth. There were dark scales on my forehead, the same colour as my horns, that ran down the the bridge of my nose where they came to a point. I had more following the line of my jaw, touching my cheek and running down my neck.

When I brought my hand up to touch them, they felt smooth and soft, yielding like skin. there were more on my hands, starting just before my knuckles and running up my arms.

That brought my attention to the other changes. My figure had filled out drastically and I could see faint traces of muscle when I moved. My shirt and bra were nothing but rags, but it wasn't my chest that had destroyed them. It was my wings.

Bat-like and the same unnatural black colour my hair had gone, they didn't look big enough to hold my weight but I suspected I still fly anyway. Turning to look at them revealed another change. _I had a tail!_

It started at the base of my spine and reached to just past my calf's.

"Fuck!" I muttered. Even my voice was different, I sounded more like mum.

I lost track of time staring at myself in the mirror and the sound of shouting outside broke me out of my thoughts and kicked my brain into gear. I was standing topless in the middle of the school looking like something from a fantasy game! My blush nearly covered my entire torso.

I needed to get home, My pants were tight but they would survive. My hoodie was on the floor near my bag…_-yea...not happening,-_ there was no way I was getting that on my wings and boobs.

Maybe If I covered my face I could just run for it? Get to the roof and see if I could fly? No one one recognise me… I gave myself another glance in the mirror before giving up on that idea.

My face had changed but not that much, I was still recognisable _-even if no one would be looking at my face-_ Maybe I could…I tried moving my wings. Maybe they would be flexible enough for me to wrap them round my body. It would help I could look like- _Whoa!_

My wings stretched round my body, taking on a shadowy appearance as they did so. As they moved, my body shifted and I found myself look like I did this morning._ I'm a shapeshifter?_

This had potential. the only thing missing were my glasses. I frowned when I realised I hadn't even noticed their loss. I found them sitting in the sink and quickly put them back on. Thankfully, everything was just as clear with them as it now was without.

Could I make myself look like other people? I focused and my body shifted. Emma stared back at me from the mirror. A small part of me noted that I was now bigger than her. Emma smiled, now this had potential. I could even use this to get my book back.

I was just deciding on a plan when the door opened.

"Emma?" the girl asked, "I thought you were with Sophia?" She was one of the interchangeable people that followed Emma everywhere these days.

"Oh...um" I struggled to cover my surprise or even remember her name. In the end, I shrugged, "canteen food, what can you do?"

"Ugh, Tell me about it," she said as locked herself in one of the stalls.

Not wanting to hang around, I grabbed my bag and gave the stall a quick glance. I shifted back to normal and walked outside. I soon abandoned my plans to recover my book, there was a strong draft in the corridor and I realised that my shirt was only an illusion.

Blushing, I quickly made my way outside. I needed to get home. school shut for winter break after today, that gave me two weeks to find some new clothes and possibly tell Dad about this.

Not wanting to risk someone bumping into me on the bus I decided to jog home. Despite being mid-winter, I barely noticed the temperature.

I was barely halfway home when I realised something. I could shapeshift, I barely felt the cold and I wasn't even winded from the run. I had powers, I was a cape! I couldn't help but laugh.

Dad's truck was on the drive when I got home, the docks must have shut early for the holidays. I tried to not make too much noise when I opened the back door but Dad was sitting at the kitchen table with some paperwork.

He looked up as I came in, "Taylor, what are you doing home?" He said in surprise.

I quickly, racked my brain for an excuse but before I could, he frowned.

"Taylor, why are you wearing a glamor?"

##


	14. Succubus 1-2

Still nameless but here is the 2nd part of succubus Taylor.

1.2

"A-a glamour? I-I don't know what you mean, I'm fine!" I frantically tried to think of something to say. Dad could tell it was an illusion? Did that mean he can see me - _topless?_? _Oh god!- Wait, why did he call it a glamor? Wasn't that a type of magic? _

Did that mean my shapeshifting was magic and not a parahuman ability? Everyone knew magic was real. There were at least three magic users in the Protectorate but nobody knew how you went about learning it or why only some people could use it.

Dad stood up and walked towards me, I tried to back away but that would mean being back outside. He put a hand on my shoulder and I couldn't stop myself from flinching.

Realisation dawned and his expression shifted from concerned to surprised and finally a sad smile, "Oh Taylor, I'm so sorry. I never thought… wings?" I nodded and he sighed. He didn't hug me, thankfully, instead, he place both hands on my shoulders and looked me in the eyes.

"Go get dressed, I'll explain everything, I promise."

##

Getting dressed was easier said than done.

By the time I made it back to my room, I was starting to feel a growing pressure in my body, like a tensed muscle. It wasn't unbearable but i'm not sure how long that would last. Relaxing, my body immediately shifted back to my other state.

It looked like this was my 'real' or default appearance and I couldn't just stay transformed forever. I peeled the remains of my clothes off and tried to find something that would fit the 'new' me. I quickly realised I would need new tops, jeans, new everything in fact.

My hips were too full for any of my jeans and my underwear was uncomfortably tight, not to mention my tail made it impossible for me pull them all the way up, so I went without. A pair of baggy tracksuit bottoms at least fit me, though being without underwear just felt weird and I'd need to be carefully about bending over but what could I do for a top?

I pulled out a couple of tops from my closet to try on. The first was a simple T-shirt. I had some trouble getting it passed my horns but with some careful positioning I managed it. I then ran into another problem - _or was that 4 problems?_ \- at the back, the shirt was caught up where my wings joined my back. And at the front, I had no real hope of stretching the shirt over my chest.

I tried anyway, twisting and flattening my wings in different, and mostly uncomfortable, ways. Trying to force myself into the shirt taught me two things. One, my body was much more sensitive than it used to be and two, I was possibly stronger. A miss timed tug tore the shirt at the front.

With a sigh,I removed its remains. There was a blouse on my bed but just looking at it gave me visions of popping buttons so I picked up the tracksuit jacket. If I moved my wings just right I could get it on and it was baggy enough that I could get it closed up front.

A look in the mirror however showed that I was clearly not wearing a top or bra of any kind. I wasn't sure I could sit like that infront of my Dad, never mind actually go shopping. What's worse, trapping my wings was really uncomfortable.

I was debating taking a pair of scissors to the back of my largest shirt when there was a knock on my door.

"Hey kiddo, I've got some of your Mom's things out here if you need them," Dad called out, "I'll be in the living room when you're ready."

I waited until I heard him reach the bottom of the stairs before I opened my door and pulled the box inside. I know Dad meant well but I couldn't see any of Mom's clothes fitting me.

She wasn't too different from how I used to look, in fact, I was a good bit taller than Mom.

Still, with nothing to lose I opened the box. My jaw very nearly hit the floor.

The clothes inside were not what I expected. Mom was always dressed fairly conservatively, she was a college professor after all. I'd expected a box of her old shirts or sweaters but sitting on the very top of the box was a corset - _a quarter of a corset anyway.- _there was lace across the top, parts were nearly see through.

I didn't know much about corsets but I got the impression this was meant for bedroom. Blushing to my toes, I moved the corset to the side and tried to find something a little more suitable.

As I dug through the clothes, it dawned on me that most of it tended towards the victorian look. Everything tended to be black or purple, Mom's favorite colour, with lace and ruffles. There was even a purple half cape with a ragged bottom. A white corset with black stipping was carefully wrapped up with a long blue dress.

Thinking back, I couldn't remember seeing Mom in any of these. Maybe they were from her time at university or her time with Lustrum? Another thing I realised was, the sizes were all wrong, being much larger in the bust and hips than I remembered Mom was and and almost everything was backless or had a low cut on the back.

Eventually, I found a shirt that fit me. Getting it on, however, was not easy. My horns kept getting caught on the shirt and then I struggled to get them through the collar. My wings were actually the easiest part. Moving them was no harder than lifting an arm and felt completely natural.

Looking at myself in the mirror, I realised I was standing differently. I couldn't really feel the weight of my horns, but they were there and I was aware of them. The wings especially were throwing my balance. Turning my back to the mirror I lifted the back of my shirt and made my wings twitch. I could see the muscles on my back shift and move with them.

It was only as I shifted back to my old appearance I realised I could have done so first and then gotten dressed. Remembering that for next time, I made my way down stairs.

##

Dad had carried a number of boxes up stairs while I was getting dressed. He was just struggling with a large one when I arrived. I moved to help him and ended up lifting the box, almost effortlessly, out of his hands.

Dad chuckled at my expression and showed me where to put the box. There was a strong smell coming from the boxes but I couldn't for the life of me describe what it was. It was like trying to explain the taste of purple. I also noticed a strong whiff of whiskey, there was a small glass of it on the table.

Opening one of the boxes, Dad pulled out a framed picture and stared at it, lost in thought, "Can… Can you show me?" he asked hesitantly.

I couldn't look him in the face. Keeping my head down, I relaxed, letting my body shift back. As it did so, I was forced to move forward a bit on the sofa, my wings and tail were going to make sitting an issue.

Dad let out a gasp, I couldn't stop myself from looking up at him. I'd expected to see fear but instead, Dad had that same sad smile. He held out the picture to me, "You look just like her," he said quietly.

My jaw dropped when I saw the photo. It was clearly an old picture, taken on a rooftop or something near sunset but what shocked me was the woman. She looked a lot like me, our skin and hair looked similar in colour and I could see the dark scales on her face and hands. Her horns were slightly different. Mine pointed down near my mouth but hers curled up.

What really shocked me was her face, "...Mom?" I asked, looking to Dad who nodded.

"yeah, that's Annette, your mother as she really looked."

I could feel my body shaking. This was Mom? what, how? why did I never know? I struggled to get my thoughts in order, to form something coherent.

A hand landed on my shoulder and I realised it was Dad. He was muttering something as he ran a hand through my hair. Eventually, I calmed down enough to ask.

"Why?" Why what? I wasn't really sure where to start or what I wanted to know.

Dad gave me another sad smile and sat down in the armchair in front of me.

"Let me start from the beginning. You, Taylor, are my daughter and _nothing _will ever change that."

He waited for me to nod before he continued, "Your mother was what most people would call a succubus," I tried to protest but Dad held up a hand to stop me, "No, not the evil soul sucking demons you've probably read about."

"Their actual history is complicated but I think there is a book in this lot somewhere that can explain it better. For now, I'll try to keep things simple…"

Dad wasn't great at explaining things but from what I could understand, Reality was like a bubble with lots of smaller bubbles inside of it. These smaller bubbles were pocket dimensions and they often overlapped or leaked into each other and Earth sat in the middle like an anchor.

One of these 'pocket dimensions' are where Succubi came from. From what Dad knew, it was actually quite a nice, if hot, place.

"So, how did Mom get here?"

"She was summoned, it's not hard if you know what you are doing, and have enough power backing you up. I've done it myself a few times, but never anything on that level."

_Wait, _"You can use magic?"

Dad sighed and opened up another of the boxes, "Yeah, I fancied myself as quite the wizard once. That's actually how I met your mother." Reaching into the box, he pulled out a staff that was nearly as tall as him.

I stared open mouthed at him. There was no way that should have fit. Dad chuckled and laid the staff on the coffee table.

"Your mother was summoned to this world by Lustrum. She couldn't use magic but she knew about succubi and she was fascinated by their society. Succubi are all women," he explained, "naturally, this makes their society a matriarchy."

Lustrum had been a feminist cape years ago. At first she had only wanted equality and quickly built a large following of mostly college age girls. I didn't know the full story and Mom didn't like to talk about it but apparently things had escalated. Peaceful protests became violent and equality became subjugation.

Eventually her followers started mutilating any man they could and while nobody knew if Lustrum supported it or not, she was willing to accept responsibility. In the end, she was sent to the birdcage and her followers disbanded.

I could see how an all female society would appeal to her but Mom always told me she left before things turned violent. Was that a lie?

"I'm not sure who did the actual summoning," Dad continued, "but your mother is the one they pulled through. Unlike normal summonings, they made no attempt to bind or control your mother. Lustrum just wanted to talk and Annette was a teacher at heart, even then. She stayed with Lustrum and answered her questions. When things started going bad, Annette argued against it. Eventually, she left to go her own way."

Dad paused to take a drink. I let everything he said sink in. it wasn't too different from what I already knew but it didn't answer the biggest question I had.

"Why did nobody tell me?"

Dad sighed, "It's complicated Kiddo. Part of it was simply because children can't keep secrets." He shot me a knowing look and I flushed with shame, I was six damn it!

"The other reason, was because we didn't want to upset you."

"Why would I be upset?"

"Because what you've done," he wave at my wings, "should be impossible. Succubi have a very low birth rate. They use ritual magic to conceive and even then there is no guarantee of success. Humans and succubi can have children but it's rare, your mother beat the odds just to get pregnant. We both knew, right from the start, you would either be human or succubus."

"Children with a human parent are either one or the other, there is no 'half' and it shouldn't have been possible for you to change that. Annette explained all this to me before you were born. It never changed how we felt about you but Annette was worried you would feel about her. It's not unheard of for human children to hate their succubus parent."

"We both suspected you would have magic. We even planned to teach you when you were old enough. But then… After..." He struggled to get the words out. Even now it was hard to think about and we still never talked about Mom's death.

Giving up, Dad shook his head, "After that, I wanted nothing to do with magic. I boxed everything up and just tried to forget about it."

The air grew heavy and Dad took another drink.

"H-how did you really meet Mom?" I asked. They had always told me it was through some friends at college but now I doubted it.

Dad smiled and some of the life came back to his eyes, "After she left Lustrum, your mother went to college. That's where I met her. I knew, as soon as I saw her that she could use magic. It was like finding a diamond in the street and I'll admit, I got a little obsessed with her. I'll skip the details but I was horrified when I realised just what your mother was."

He laughed at my surprised expression, "There is no formal education for magic users, we are all self taught or taken as an apprentice. The only book I had that mentioned succubi was more fantasy than fact and I was convinced she was evil. So one night, I confronted her. I'd spent ages preparing and had dozens of spells and my new staff ready… Your mother thought I was the most adorable little demon hunter she'd ever seen," he admitted with a blush.

Dad stood up and started digging through another box, "After she kicked my arse, she sat me down and explained everything to me. We started spending time together and well, you know what happened after that. Here, these were hers," He handed me a couple of books.

The first looked professionally made and had a picture of stylised wings and horns on the cover, "That's the most accurate book you can find on succubi. Your mother made me read it. The other is her personal journal. She started writing it when she was pregnant, it was supposed to be everything she wanted to teach you."

Moms journal was a leatherbound book with floral prints in the leather. It was filled with Moms neat writing and I skimmed through the first few pages. It read more like a notebook, ideas were scribbled in the margins and sections had been crossed out.

What really drew my eye was a line of symbols near the bottom of the page. I didn't know what they meant but as I looked I could feel them trying to draw on… something. I reached towards it but Dad stopped me.

"Is that-?"

"Yeah, it's a spell," he turned his head to get a better look, "It's… a light spell. Safe enough, go ahead."

Wondering what he meant, I turned my attention the 'spell', it looked more like a complex maths formula than anything else. I could feel that pulling sensation and I reached out. My fingers brushed the page but nothing happend. I gave Dad a questioning looking but he simply nodded.

This time, I focused on the pulling. Did the spell need something? I tried to push against the sensation and gasped as I felt something inside of me shift. The words on the page started to glow. The break in concentration caused the words to go dark.

I tried again, but this time, I didn't stop until all the symbols were glowing. I watched as they detached themselves from the page, an ethereal copy floating just about the original writing.

Taking a calming breath I reached for the symbols and they merged into a glowing sphere. It felt delicate in my hands, like it would break if squeezed too hard. Dad mimed a gentle throwing action and I realised what he meant.

I threw the sphere. It hit the far wall and the room was filled with a bright white flash that left after images on my eyes. I turned in shock to Dad who was grinning broadly. I broke into a smile of my own. I could use magic!

"So… I know it's a bit late, but how do feel about learning magic? We can make a weekend of it." Dad offered and hugged me tightly.

I could use magic, this was something Emma and her friends could never take away from me.


	15. Succubus 1-3

Warning: this chapter contains some NSFW material.

* * *

Succubus Taylor  
1-3

After Dinner, Dad sat down with me at the table and started teaching me the basics of magic. He'd dug a collection of books out one of the boxes. We'd ordered takeout as neither of us were really up to cooking after everything else that had happened today.  
"This is your basic primer. It contains the full runic alphabet and a brief description of what they mean." He passed a slim leather book towards me. "By writing these in the correct order you can create a spell."

He pulled a piece of paper towards himself and quickly wrote down a spell, "In theory, writing a spell is simple. You state the target," he circled the first half of the spell he'd written, "then the effect. Go ahead and look up the runes, see if you can tell me what this does?"  
I flipped through the book, making notes on a sheet of paper. Each rune could formed one syllable or it could be a word on its own or a part of a polysyllabic word. The first rune I found was… 'Open'? it took me a bit of reading to realise that the rune before it stood for 'Define' or 'Target.'  
Oh, I get it! I quickly scribbled 'Target Open' on the sheet. The next rune was 'Light'

_[Target {Open}; Light {Blue};]_

"It's a light spell, like the one I tried earlier but coloured blue?" I wasn't too sure about the last part but dad smiled and nodded.

"That's right. Interesting idea on the notes, where did you learn that?

I looked at my notes and I realised I'd what I'd been writing, "Its the pseudocode my computer science teacher was showing us."

"Makes sense, most magic users have there own way of making notes. Now, can you think of a reason for using 'open' as the target?"

"... Because there isn't one. This just creates a flash of light wherever the spell lands?"

"Exactly, if we replace open with 'hand' you would get a spell that works a bit like a torch. Now this is just spell crafting at its most basic, it gets much more complicated once you start adding conditions."

It took me much longer to translate his next spell  
_[Target {Hand}; Light {Blue}; Direction {Forward {Hand}}; Power {User {Constant}};]_

"That's more or less it," Dad said, "the 'Constant' means the spell will last as long as you continue to feed it power. You can add all sorts of conditions such as timers or triggers as you see fit. It all depends on your imagination. Why don't you try creating a couple of your own?"

Dad busied himself making us both some tea while I worked. In the end, I created a spell that should act like a stun grenade, a loud bang and bright flash that shouldn't effect me if I got the runes right. I also made one to conjure water.

Looking the formula over, Dad seemed impressed. "Protecting yourself against your own spell is a clever idea. For the most part, you are immune to effects of your own spells. For example," he created a ball of flame in his hand, "this fire will not burn me while I'm channeling power into it. If i was to set the table alight however I would no longer be protected."

"This brings us to some basic safety rules; Don't try cast a spell unless you know exactly what it will do. And I don't want you using 'Constant' until you have gotten used to feeling your magic. If you cast a spell that requires more power than you can supply it will start to drain your body. In some cases, this can be lethal."

He closed his hand, snuffing out the flames.

"How did you do that? I didn't see you write anything down"

"Hmm? That's why you should be very careful about casting spells you didn't write yourself. With practice you will get more familiar with a spell and will be able to get the same effect using less runes. Eventually, you can cast your most common spells without writing anything. This means a spell someone else has written may be missing important runes. A lot of magic users find that out the hard way."

As dad explained it, anybody could write a spells but only people who had magic could use them. There were exceptions of course. It was possible to store Magic in objects or devices that could then be used by others.

Apparently, this was actually a bit of a problem as it meant there was a large number of enchanted artifacts around that anybody could use. What's more If Magican used the same spell book for a long period it would slowly store a charge. The 'scrolls of Merlin' were said to have so much magic stored in them that they couldn't even be handled safely.

Dad didn't go into too much detail as most of that was high magic theory and not something I needed to worry about for awhile yet.

Returning to the lesson, Dad quickly scribbled another spell. Rather than have me translate it, he asked me to close my eyes and focus power into it.  
Doing as he asked, I felt the same pull from earlier. Dad explained it as the spell trying to draw on my magic.

"Now, this spell has no power runes, this means any magic you put in will immediately evaporate. For now, I want you to feed energy into it and see if you can feel the flow of your magic. when you are confident enough, try increasing or decreasing the flow. This is so you can learn how to cut off a spell if you need to."

Putting my hand over the spell, I felt the same pulling sensation as before. Pushing against it I could see the runes starting to light up but they never got beyond a dull glow. Closing my eyes, I tried to 'feel' my magic.

After a while, Dad made me stop and take a break. It took me four attempts before I was able to feel it. It was impossible to describe, it felt like liquid fire was moving through my body and into the spell. By focusing on where I could feel the 'drain' I found I could 'push' against it, increasing the flow or pull to slow it. Stopping the flow all together was much harder and the effort left me breathless.

As I opened my eyes, Dad put a hand on my shoulder and smiled proudly

##

By the time we called it a night, my head was swimming in information and I decided to take a shower to help me relax.

Stripping down, I ignored my reflection in the small bathroom mirror. It wasn't big enough for me to see more than my face in and I would never get anything done if I kept stopping to stare at myself.

I gave the shower a minute to warm up before I stepped in but even so, the water was barely warm. Frowning at the dial, I realised it was at my usual temperature. Dad had said I was tougher now and that Succubi came from a hot world so I shouldn't be surprised.

Carefully turning the dial, I got the shower how I liked it. Washing my hair had always been a chore, it was my best feature and I went to pains to keep it looking nice. The addition of horns only made things worse.

Standing under the shower head, I was very much aware of the spray as it hit my body. Closing my eyes, I let the feelings wash over me as my hands explored my new appearance. My fingers brushed over the scales on my body and I wondered if they would need any special treatment. As my hands worked their way up, I could feel heat starting to pool between my legs and gently bit my lip to stifle the moan.

One hand ghosted across my breasts, catching a nipple and giving it a tweak, causing me to gasp. It seemed so bizarre for my scales to be so hard and my flesh so soft, and yet for the sensation to be almost the same, even as - I gasped. My hand had brushed across my nipple, and almost without my thought it returned, fingers rubbing and pulling at that little nub of flesh as my other hand slid back down again, across my stomach, down further -  
Fuck! I held my breath, my mouth open as my fingers pried me apart, so soft and slick and -

##

By the time I got out of the shower, I was having trouble keeping myself upright. I pulled some of Mom's clothes on and did my best to dash up to my room, despite the occasional muscle spasm and flushed with embarrassment.

I didn't see Dad as I passed but I thought I heard him moving around in the basement. Hopefully, I hadn't heard me. I don't think I made much noise.  
My face was still burning when I reached my room. I wasn't naive, I'd… explored myself in the past but it had never been that intense. Just thinking about it was enough to get a reaction and I quickly searched for a distraction.

Grabbing the book Dad had given me, I forced myself to focus on that. The book was a bit dry, despite its subject and there were little comments scribbled on some of the pages that I recognised as Mom's writing. Mostly it was just minor corrections but on one page, almost everything had been scribbled out and a piece of paper was tucked between the pages with what I assumed was the corrected information.

Shifting on my bed, I couldn't get comfortable. Between my tail and wings laying on my back to read was uncomfortable and my chest made laying on my stomach just as difficult.

Giving up, I sat up and stared at myself in my full length mirror. Despite my time in shower I was still a little wired so I decided to satisfy my curiosity.  
I spent some time poking and prodding my new additions. My horns were a lot like my nails, I could feel it when they were touched but that might just be the weight pulling on my temples. My wings were quite sensitive and running my hand across the thin membrane made my shiver.  
My tail got more sensitive the closer to the join you got.

Pulling my top off, I examined the scales on my body but I was quickly distracted by my breasts. They were large, firm and nicely shaped. Putting my hand underneath I lifted one to get a feel for the weight.

I wouldn't be surprised if my enchanced strength was simply so I could carry them. A passage from the book Emma had stolen popped into my head, making me blush. Wondering how it would look, I held my hands above my head and shook gently. Watching my reflection, the movement was… hypnotic.

Giggling quietly to myself, I decided to try something else. I brought a nipple up to my mouth. It feel… odd, not bad, kinda pleasant but I couldn't really see the appeal. Maybe it was the angle, or I needed to do more...I mouthed at it, kissing it. Oh...that was better. My tongue flicked across it and my hand tightened in response. _Oh..._

I looked up at the mirror and saw myself almost devouring my flesh. The view was kinda - kinda hot. Closing my eyes, I let my mind wander. _'Lita slowly crawled her way up her lover's body, her fingers leaving trails of fire-"_

It was really late by the time I finished and I was glad I didn't have to worry about school. Pulling my clothes on, I quickly nipped into the bathroom to clean myself up. I noticed my bottom lip was quite red where I had bitten it in an effort to keep quiet and there was even a little blood.

Hoping it wouldn't be too visible tomorrow, I went back to my room, finally feeling satisfied.

Now I had calmed down, I was a little worried about how I had been behaving. Being more sensitive was one thing but I didn't want to end up spending every day stuck in my room, only able to - well, explore myself. Especially if it made moving around so hard. Orgasms were - had been - _fantastic_, but if it came at the cost of any attempts at co-ordination due to the sheer trembling wonder of them…

I wasn't really sure who I could really talk to about it. God, just thinking about asking Dad made me feel ill.

Spotting the book I'd been reading, I decided to give it another try and see if there was anything in there.

* * *

AN: This chapter is as about as explicit as I will write.


	16. Succubus 1-4

Worm: The Succubus  
1-4

* * *

Sighing in contentment, I took another bite out of my burger.

After nearly two weeks of reading, lessons in magic and just relaxing I was finally starting to feel 'normal'. My reflection no longer made me jump and I could look at myself in the mirror without blushing. I'd also finished… changing.

I'd thought that after the first, rather drastic, change I was done but it turned out I was wrong. Over the last two weeks I'd developed extra abilities. Like a form of empathy that manifested as taste, I could literally taste how the people around me were feeling. Good or happy moods tasted sweet and pleasant while darker moods tended to be bitter.

I hadn't realised until then that Dad was just as depressed as me. It hung like a cloud around him, tasting like ash. Thankfully, it had lifted slightly over christmas but it still worried me.

_The faint, but constant, smell of whiskey doesn't help either._

Another thing I'd also realised, was that I could 'smell' magic. I couldn't tell you what that 'smell' was, it was like trying to explain what burning purple tasted, but it was so unique I could always recognise it.

The final change, was the reason I was sitting in the food court at a mall a safe distance from my house.

Closing my eyes, I felt the energy around me being given off by hundreds of people, and allowed myself to drink it in. I could eat normal food without a problem but my new body needed something _more_.

Succubi needed energy to live and they had two ways of getting it. Active feeding which involved pinning a victim down and forcibly drawing energy from them. Or passive feeding. That's what I was doing now.

Apparently, it wasn't really viable in the past but as cities grew bigger and more crowded it became easier.

All living things gave off energy, some of her books referred to it as the light of the soul, or proof of existence. All I knew, was that people gave off energy and things like emotions tended to effect that. Passively feeding from one or two people was nearly impossible but with enough people in one place none of them would even notice the small amounts of energy I took from them.

It had been a relief to know I didn't need to kill or seduce people to feed. According to everything I had read and what Dad told me, most people who were fed on by a succubus recovered within a day or so and that it didn't require sex.

It was easier to explain why a person woke up utterly exhausted after a passionate night in bed after all.

I didn't have to feed of course, I could survive on normal food but I would quickly lose my extra abilities such as my enhanced senses and the power to shapeshift.

Shaking the thoughts out of my head, I closed off my connection to the world around me. Thankfully my borrowed clothes were baggy and thick enough to hide my lack of a bra. _I could probably cut glass._

It happened a lot when I fed. Apparently, while I didn't _need_ sex to feed, the two were still connected.

I was finally getting used to my new level of sensitivity, even if I did still get wound _up_ and _off_ easily. The book Dad gave me explained that all Succubi had high libidos but it was mother's journal had explained why.

Mom had put lines through everything the book said about where succubus came from and wrote the real story in her journal.

With a shudder, I pushed that thought away and stood up. Knowing someone had designed my body, from the way it reacted to my orientation, made my skin crawl if I dwelled on it too long.

The mall I was in was spread across three floors and the upper most was the food court. If I worked my way downwards, I could get everything she needed and leave.

Not wanting to look out of place, I had used her shapeshifting to hide my scales, wings, tail and horns but for the sake of getting clothes that fitted, my figure was untouched. While I could shift to fit into my old clothes, I still couldn't hold that shape for more than a few hours and my body changed back, ruin my clothes in the process.

If however, I was wearing clothes that fit me before shifting, I could change them with my body and not worry about stretching them out when I changed back. _even if bursting out of my clothes_ was _kinda hot._

Glancing around as I walked, I spotted another guy watching me and blushed. I couldn't help it, my hips swayed when I walked, I think it was because of my tail.

That aside, I had to stop blushing everytime I caught someone looking at me. The clothes I were wearing were the most loose fitting I could find but I was still attracting looks. _Though watching that guy walk into a wall when I stretched_ was _funny._

That's why I was at this specific mall. It was as far as I could get from Winslow and Emma's house. Nobody who should recognise me shopped here.  
Taking a breath, I decided to start with underwear. I couldn't keep going braless and I was curious about my size. There was a large store in the middle of the mall that had a women's underwear department, I should be able to find something there that fits me.

##

Five minutes later, I came to the sinking realisation that this was going to be harder than I thought.

I had no clue what my sizes were and there was no fitting service here. The best I could do, was use Mom's as a starting point but I was both taller and bigger than her so it wasn't much to go on.

Then there was the choices. Anything that looked even remotely close to fitting me was either some fragile, semi-transparent lace affair with no support or like it belonged on an old woman. _And forget about finding a sports bra._

For one brief moment, I actually found some that looked like they would fit and looked nice. But when I picked one up, I realised it had the major flaw. _Why are they padded?!_

Seriously, I'm already size 'holy shit look at her'. "I don't _need_ or want padding," growling in frustration and hung it back up.

"It's because they're typically designed by a man," a girl next to me said, making me jump. "Not having much luck?" She was shorter than me and a bit mousy, her brown hair was frizzy and there were freckles on her face.

"U-um, no… Fashion really isn't my thing." I explained.

Could the ground just swallow me now please?

"Hmm, well I hate to say it, but I don't think you're going to have much luck in here." she said, gesturing to the clothes around us.

With a sigh, I put the bra i was holding back, "you're probably right."

Giving me a pitying look, she held out her hand, "here, how about I help. My name's Amelia but my friends call me Amy."

For a second, I considered making my excuses and just leaving. I could do this another day, I'd just wear some of Mom's clothes or something for now. I'd never been great at making friends and after Emma I wasn't sure I wanted to try again.

Before I could however, it dawned on me that I didn't need to worry it. I could 'taste' the honest concern she was giving off. It was tinted with something… musky… I couldn't quite place but it was still pleasant.

Steeling myself, I took her hand, "T-Taylor, and thanks."

She seemed to lose focus when we shook hands but recovered quickly, "no problem, What do you actually need to get and do you know what sizes you are?"

"Umm not really? I kinda had a growth spurt over the holidays and now nothing fits. I was hoping to get some jeans, some tops and some… underwear," I explained, hoping she wouldn't press for too many details.

This time, she gave me an open mouthed stare as she looked me up and down. "Oh that's just not fair," she muttered quietly. "Okay," she said in a much more normal voice, "I don't think you're gonna find anything here. There's a lingerie store further down that does proper fittings, we should head there and get your sizes first."

The shop she was talking about large with two massive windows out front. Each window was large enough to house three mannequins side by side, each in different lingerie. for privacy sake, the displays were boxed in so passers by couldn't see more than what was close to the door.

Inside, everything was done in pinks and blacks and that same musky smell hung in the air.

Amy walked calmly down the aisle to a screened off area where a young woman was waiting. I missed what she said when I noticed one of the posters on the wall. _Is that Emma?_ It certainly looked like her and I knew she did the occasional modeling job, but this?

Between the risque pose and lack of clothes I mistook her for someone older.

"Taylor? you okay?" Amy called, making me blush.

"Y-Yeah, it's just… I think I know her." I waved at the poster.

"Oh yes," the shop assistant smiled, "we recruited local models for our new displays."

"But isn't she a bit… young?" I asked.

The assistant looked confused, "what do you mean?"

It might have been wrong, but I couldn't stop the feeling of satisfaction. "That's Emma Barnes right? She's fifteen. We're in the same classes."

The assistant paled and I could taste the worry pouring off her, "e-excuse me!" With that, she walked off quickly. Probably to talk to her manager.

"You're fifteen? huh, I thought you were closer to seventeen," Amy said giving me another look. "I guess that explains why you didn't know your size."  
I was just thinking of a good lie when another young woman came over and politely ushered me into changing room. With a bit of urging, I pulled my top off. The assistant stared and I could taste her surprise. After that, it didn't take long to get my sizes.

_I'm_ how _big?!_

Outside, I heard Amy choke back a laugh and that musky smell got stronger.

I was still blushing when the sales assistant helped me find several bras in my size, including two sports and some matching bottoms. While she was giving me some tips, Amy was looking between me and a nearby display, "Y'know Taylor, I think you would look great in a corset."

She was looking at was was labeled as an 'underbust' corset. It was a corset that stopped under the breasts and next to it was 'overbust' that covered the breast. They did look cool and from what I had seen of moms clothes, she was very fond of them.

_Maybe I could try one?_

"Do they even do them in my size?" I asked, paling when I saw the price tag. The underwear was already taking most of my money, there was no chance I could afford one of these as well.

"I'm sorry but we don't have any in your size. Here," the assistant said, handing me a card. "She does a lot of custom clothing so she might be able to help you out." With a smile, she gave me a card for a shop off the boardwalk called 'Parian'

"Ooh I know her," Amy said, "she's not cheap though."

With a shrug, I pocketed the card, it wouldn't hurt to hold onto it, and went to pay for my purchases. After I paid for everything, I checked with the assistant and quickly ducked back into the changing rooms, slipping into one one of the sports. I'd barely needed a bra before, even if I did make sure to always wear one. Wearing one after nearly two weeks felt odd but I knew I'd get used to it eventually.

As we left, I could see the shop assistance pulling down the pictures of Emma and one of them was talking frantically on the phone.  
Back in the earlier store, it took a few tries but I soon found some jeans in my sizes. The entire time, Amy and I were talking. We never really spoke about anything important, just general small talk. Being with Amy was nice, it was like having a friend again

I did learn that Amy liked to read and, thanks to an accidental comment from me, that was reading the same sci-fi series as me which had set us both of giggling.

One thing that was odd, was I kept catching her staring at me. Occasionally, I would turn and her eyes would snap upwards to my face or I'd see her giving me this odd look out the corner of her eye. Everytime she did, I could taste her embarrassment at being caught and that same musky smell/taste. It was only when I caught a guy, who go a slap from his girlfriend, giving me the same look that I realised what it was.

On the upside, I think I knew what I was smelling/tasting

Amy was attracted to me!

I wasn't sure how to feel about that. I'd spent the better part of a year being insulted by Emma, being told how plain and unattractive I was having my complete lack of any feminine features thrown in my face everyday.

It wouldn't have been so bad if somebody, anybody aside from Greg, my own personal stalker, Vader had shown any interest in me. physically or mentally.

I'd never had anyone attracted to me and wasn't sure what to do about it.

Eventually, I decided that it was harmless to just enjoy it for now.

Feeling playful, I picked up a pair of jeans that were just a little bit too small and took them into the changing room. Slimming my legs down a bit, I slipped into the jeans and carefully changed back.

The jeans creaked slightly, and it was too uncomfortable to do this for long but it worked. They clung to my legs and backside so tightly they looked painted on.

Opening the curtain I called out to Amy, "What do you think?"

When I turned to look at the mirror behind me, I could see the reflection as she stared, open mouthed, at my backside.  
"How do you get into those!?" she asked.

"Well you can start with flowers," the words were out of my mouth before I could stop them and we both went scarlet.  
Ducking back into the changing room, I peeled the jeans off and tried to calm down.

Okay, maybe that was taking it a little too far.

When I left the changing room, Amy was still blushing but we both decided, without saying a word, to act like it never happened.

we ended up spending so long in the mall that we decided to get dinner in the food court. We were still making small talk when Amy's phone went off.  
"Damn, sorry, one second." Checking the screen, she frowned and shoved her phone back into her pocket.

"I'm really sorry but I have to go, something's come up. I had fun today, we should… maybe... do it again?" she asked the last part with a blush and I realised that yes, I would like to meet up with her again.

"Sure," I said with a smile and blush of my own.

I didn't have a cellphone so we had to settle for swapping email addresses.

Picking up my bags, I made my way outside. There were some payphones just inside the doors and I used one to call dad so he could pick me up. There was no way I was going to take this lot on the bus.

It was dark out by the time Dad arrived in his truck. Throwing my bags onto the back seat, I climbed in.

"Hey Kiddo, I thought you would be done hours ago. Did anything happen?" he asked with a touch of concern.

"Nothing really, I just ran into someone and we got talking. we ended up having dinner together."

Dad smiled at me, "Good, in that case, I take it you had a good time?"

"Yeah, it was… nice."

Things were finally looking up.


	17. AN: Succubus Taylor

For anyone who is intrested, I have created a new story. The Succubus Taylor snips have been corrected and are now in there own story.

The title is "Worm: Succubus Diaries."

I will not be posting any more Succubus updates in this story.


	18. Justice League of Worm

Clark kent, known to the world at large a superman looked over the meeting hall of the Justice league.

It was filled to capacity with league members -heroes- from all over the world, the sounds of their voices as the talked amongst themselves blended together into a constant hum, with only a few heros capable of distinguishing them from each other at a distance.

It was almost humbling, to see so many people gathered here, and while he didn't know every single one of them personally, he made an effort to at least know their names and faces.

None of them had been told the reason for the meeting. He'd simply put out a call for any and all members to meet here today. Such a thing had not happened since Darkseid's last invasion. Which happened with worrying frequency now that he thought about it.

He was distracted from his thoughts by the approach of Dr fate. The man's helmet was tucked under his arm, without it he looked old and tired.

"You sure you're up for this?" Clark asked his friend quietly.

"Yes, I'll be fine, I just need a few days to recover." Fate chuckled ruefully, "it's only a shame we don't have the time. Is this everyone?"

"I think so," Clark said with a nod, "Nearly everyone in the league who can get here in time anyway. I know Arthur couldn't be here. He said something about a deep sea fissure."

"Hmm, very well, shall we begin?" Fate said, pulling his helmet on and allowing the spirit of Nobu to enter his body.

Walking out onto a raised platform with a podium on it at the end of the room, Clark waited for quiet. He wasn't Bruce, he couldn't silence a room with a glare, but he could admit to commanding enough respect to not need too. The sight of him and Fate waiting patiently was enough to draw the attention of the room and silence quickly followed.

"Thank you," he said, raising his voice enough to be heard, " I know you're all wondering why we called you here, but before we get to that, I have some background information you will need to see.

Tapping keys on the podiums built in keyboard, he summoned up a hologram of the earth.

"With the number of extra-dimensional threats we've faced, I'm sure it comes as no surprise to anyone that this earth is simply one of many scattered across the different realities."

As he spoke, the image of the earth shrank and split into two earths, then four, eight and so on until there was an earth hovering over the head of everyone in the room. One of them, the one in front of Clark, was highlighted in red.

"Fate, would you like to continue?"

"Yes, thank you. A week ago, I received a vision that an earth," he pointed at the red hologram, "this earth, was nearing it's end."

"O-kay," the flash said, frowning at the hologram, "that's terrible, and I don't mean to sound rude, but what's it got to do with us?"

"The flash is right," John Stewart - Green Lantern- said, "Parallel worlds are kinda outside our jurisdiction." Around him, other people started to talk, some in support of saving the world, others against interfering in an outside matter.

"It matters," Clark said firmly, bringing the meeting back under control. "Because countless innocent people will die. And I do mean countless."

"Superman is right," Fate said and at his nod, Clark tapped a key and the red earth exploded, along with the world's closest to it. Their destruction spread to other worlds, from one to the other until only a handful on the furthest edges were left alone.

"If that planet dies, it's destruction will wipe out an unknown number of alternative earths, possibly even our."

"Oh…" said a sheepish looking Flash.

"So, we go dimension hopping, find the problem, fix and come home? Doesn't sound too hard." someone in the crowd said.

"I'm afraid it's not that simple." Clark corrected, "moving between worlds is difficult at the best of times and the earth were looking for is one in an infinite number of worlds." Off the top of his head, Clark could list three, maybe four people who had intentionally crossed dimensions in the past and could do so again.

"So, it's an explosive needle in a haystack?" Flash said, quickly bouncing back from his earlier fopaux and causing a few people to chuckle quietly.

"We have a plan, but I think it would be best if Dr fate explained it," Clark said confidently. In the time since Dr Fate's vision, Clark and the other 'core' members had debated constantly how to handle this mission and how much they should tell the others. Bruce, as was typical for him, suggested telling them nothing more than the bare minimum. Clark had been against it, feeling full disclosure was better with the rest of the members split between the two. Eventually however, a decision was made.

"Thank you, Superman. The world we are looking for is shrouded to me, if not for my connection to Nubo I wouldn't even be aware of it. This same shroud also prevents me or any others from reaching the doomed world. However, it is possible for me to create… aspects, shadows of ourselves. They would be small enough to pass the shroud unnoticed-"

"Wouldn't they be little more than ghosts?" Zantanna said, "only a few people would be able to see them and they wouldn't be able to actually touch anything."

"That is correct," he said, nodding graciously, "however, a good number of you are practitioners of the craft, with your help, it should be possible to include a catalyst with the aspects. That would allow the aspect to gift a copy of your power suitable and guide them in it's usage. That is why you have been called here, we would like volunteers who would be willing to undergo the ritual."

Quickly, Fate help up a hand to forestall anyone from talking, "however. You must be made aware that there is a price. Such a spell has never been attempted before. If it fails, you could lose your powers permanently, or even be killed. I will not lie, even if we are successful, you may still face the same fate."

The atmosphere in the room turned grim. To many heros, their power was their life, asking them to risk the possibly giving it all up, for a plan they couldn't even guarantee, was asking a lot.

If it came down to it, Clark was confident he could survive without his powers. He was clark first, Superman second. If the worst was to happen, he simply carry on living as Clark. His methods would, of course, have to change, but he'd continue doing what he could for other people.

The real question, was who willing to do the same?

"Eh, what the hell, nothing ventured and all that. I'm in," The flash called out.

"Me too."

"I'll do it."

"Count me in!"

One by one, more and more heros stepped forwards and Clark found himself smiling. Some heros just couldn't be beat.

########################

You can probably tell where this is going but I'll see if I can get a second part finished soon.

Also, just so we're clear, this is not based on any specific timeline/comic. Most of the charas are pulled from a mix of the old cartoons, fanfics and the few DC comics I did read.

I'm posting this here for two reasons, 1, cause this thread see's more traffic than the sfw thread. 2, cause if I feel like it, Lewds may happen in the story.


	19. Escape Plans

Escape plans

(AU: a week after the bank robbery)

The weather had been taking a turn for the warm lately, but there was still enough chill in the air that I was starting to regret letting Lisa talk me into wearing a short tank top and skinny jeans.

"L-Lisa," I asked, doing my best to keep my teeth from chattering, "what are we doing here!"

"Damage control," was all she said, switching between checking her phone and looking at the sky.

"Damage con?... look, if you don't start making sense, I'm going home." It was was an idle threat and we both knew it. Lisa had bought these clothes for me and forced me to change after we left the lair. If I went home now, even Dad would notice if I turned up wearing different clothes.

Finally putting her phone down, Lisa gave me a considering look. eventually, she nodded to herself.

"He wasn't interested was he? Armsmaster I mean." she grinned at my pole-axed expression. "I know things, remember? I told you right at the start. I always knew you intended to turn us in. You're not that subtle."

"You... knew?" Now I was really worried. If that why she wanted to meet me tonight? to ambush me or something?

Reaching out with my powers, I felt every insect for three blocks move. If I was lucky, I could hold attackers off long enough to escape, or at least get some distance. if nothing else, I was going to make Lisa sorry!

Lisa's smile vanished as she paled dramatically and stepped forwards, one hand landing on my shoulder "fuck! Taylor stop! it's not like that! I swear!"

Grabbing her, I pushed Lisa against the wall.

"Then what was it then? A bit of fun? another _game?_ Get me to do your bidding and leave me dead in a ditch!" The floor was covered in cockroaches and flys were swarming above us. Some of the larger flyers were carrying spiders, including a few widows.

Lisa didn't even try to fight against me. Not that it would have done her much good. I had her beat in height _and_ weight.

"NO! its... fuck! Taylor Listen to me! _please! _Look, I never wanted to be a villain, okay? Our boss, he found out about me, his men grabbed me off the streets and put a gun to my head. I so much as put a foot wrong and I'm dead, do you understand?"

"What's that got to do with me? or was just an escape plan?" Okay, so her situation was bad. But I wasn't going to let her distract me.

"You... you were just _there_ okay? When we found you, you were taking on Lung for fuck sake! You were sad, alone and needed a friend. That's all it ever was, I swear!"

Staring into Lisa's eyes, I couldn't see anything but honesty and possibly a bit of fear. Letting her go, I stepped back and dismissed my swarm, sending it out of sight but keeping it close. I was starting to feel a bit foolish, but I refused to let it show.

Straitening her clothes, Lisa sighed, "Look Taylor, no matter what happens, you're my friend, okay? And we are here because you were never my '_escape plan_'. I had something... _someone_, else in mind for that... About six months ago, I had a run in with a cape and we hit it off. Eventually, I told her about the boss and she agreed to help."

Lisa chuckled, "it's ironic really. My plan was more or less the same as yours. I planned to feed the heros information, use it to deal with the boss and keep myself out of jail. The only difference between us was who we went too. Armsmaster is too proud, you need to be careful when dealing with him. Other heros, especially the independents, are a better bet."

I felt like hitting my head on a wall "you were going to...? _why?!"_

"I told you, I didn't chose to be- oh, you mean 'why wait so long?" she shrugged, "the boss is good at keeping hidden... and I guess I'd gotten a little too attached to the Undersiders. Then of course, you landed in my lap and I knew you wouldn't last solo. After that, things kinda got out of control."

I gave Lisa a look that screamed 'you think?' and she smiled at me.

"Why are we here Lisa?"

"I told you, damage control. The bank robbery may have screwed up my escape plan, but come on, our ride is here."

A large, expensive looking car pulled up by the alley we were standing in and Lisa calmly walked towards it.

"Come on. I promise, I'll explain everything."

shaking my head with a defeated sigh, I pushed my remaining anger down and followed her.

Climbing into the back seat, my heart almost stopped when I saw Glory Girl sitting behind the wheel.

"Took you long enough," she said to Lisa, then turned to me, "his her?"

"Yeah. but we need to go, now. The guys the boss sent to keep an eye on me will be here soon."

"What!? Lisa what's going on?" I hissed as Lisa pulled me into the seat and forced my belt on.

"I'll tell you in a minute, I promise."

##

In the end, Lisa never did explain and we spent the entire ride in awkward silence. Glory Girl kept throwing me dark looks, but whenever her eyes feel on Lisa her expression would soften into something I couldn't recognise. it was almost tender. A_nd why does that make my chest hurt?_

Eventually, we came to a house in the nicer area of town and I was quickly ushered from the car and inside.

Inside, the house was warm and well lit. The decorations however looked brand new, almost sterile. I'd almost say no one actually lived here.

Being let through the house by the other two, I was so lost in my thoughts that I completely missed the girl waiting for us in the living room until she spoke.

"That her?" a she said, giving me an annoyed look. _Why do people keep asking that?_

"Yeah, Glory Girl said with a sigh, "apparently that's _Skitter_."

"Skitter?"

"That's what the PRT is going to call you. After you robbed a bank and held a dozen people hostage with poisonous spiders, they had to call you _something._" the girl, Panacea said, still giving me a dirty look.

"Be nice you two," Lisa warned, but sat down on a sofa with a smirk on her face.

"She held a knife to my throat! and now you've brought her to our home!" Panacea said stubbornly.

After all the surprises and lack of explanations, something inside me snapped.

"And you hit me with a fire extinguisher! I spent two days with a concussion! I still have the headache! and will somebody _please _tell me what is going on!"

Before Panacea and I could attack each other, Lisa and Glory Girl stepped between us and forced us both to sit on different sofas.

"Alright, I guess that's fair," Lisa said, "it's all about escape plans. Vicky is mine, and this place is hers."

I looked between Glory Girl and Panacea, "escape plan?... but you're heros!"

"And mom is a bitch," Glory Girl said with a sigh, "don't get me wrong, I love her, I really do. But I can't live with her much longer. The moment I hit eighteen, i'm moving into here permanently."

I gave Panacea a questioning look. she shrugged in response.

"Where Vicky goes, I go."

"So, let me get this straight," I said to Lisa and taking a deep breath, "you have been feeding information to New Wave so you can become a hero, or at least, avoid prison and you knew all along I was actually trying _to be_ a hero... and you never once thought to tell me!?"

Lisa at least had the decency to look embarrassed while Glory Girl looked amused. Panacea however looked at me with wide, surprised, eyes.

"_You_ wanted to be a hero?"

"Yes! I've been giving Armsmaster information for weeks! I told him about the bank robbery before it even happened!"

"Oh..."

"I'm sorry Taylor, but I had to keep quiet. Brian's okay and Bitch doesn't care, but Alec's only in it for the money. He _will_ tell the boss anything for enough money. But that's actually why I wanted everyone to meet tonight. I'm getting worried about what the boss has planned. If anything happened to me, I want you to make sure you knew you could go to someone for help Taylor."

"Oh..." my guilt and feelings of foolishness from earlier resurfaced.

We all sat in stunned, somewhat awkward silence for a few minutes, but eventually Glor- _Victoria_, stood up with a huff.

"Right... I think I know what we need!" storming out of the room, she left the three of us in stunned silence, before returning with various bottles in her arms.

"I've been swiping these from the house when no one was looking," she said, putting the bottles and some glasses on the coffee table.

"If were all going to be friends," Victoria gave me and Amy a pointed look, "then I think a little ice breaker is in order!"

"I'm not sure that's a good idea," I started, only for Lisa to push a glass into my hand.

"It'll be fine," she insisted. The drink was a bright yellow and smelled faintly like fruit juice. The other girls watched me expectantly and under the weight of their stares, I took a careful sip.

I'd had alcohol before of course. Dad had let me try his beer when I'd been younger and I'd been allowed a very weak wine that was heavily diluted with lemonade for new years last year. and those chocolate liqueurs Emma and I had stolen that time.

I'd also spent enough time around Alec to know when someone was messing with me and that's why I took a small, careful sip and waited for it to go down before saying anything.

The drink was actually pleasant, cool and sweet with only a faint after taste that I assumed was the alcohol. It wasn't bad really.

"See, told you!" Lisa said, taking a sip of her own clear drink."

Gradually, our glasses emptied and we all started talking more. After a few glasses, things started to blur together.

"No, I wanted to prove I was a hero before I joined."

"you should have seen the look on his face!"

"Amy! you can't tell people that!"

"If you two don't start kissing soon, I'm going to _make _you. and don't think I cant!"

"I mean, *sniff* It's not fair! I don't mind being tall, but why do I have to end up looking like a boy!"

"... I could fix that..."

"Wow, *giggle*, they are really going at it!"

"No, it's alright, I'm adopted."

##

Waking and sitting up in bed the next morning. I was immediately aware of several things. First, my boobs felt _huge_, Vicky and Lisa were snuggled up next to me and Amy had apparently fallen out of the bed. My memories of the night mostly consisted of flesh tones, pleasured moans the taste of... everyone in my mouth and the warm afterglow of the best orgasm I'd ever experienced.

To make matters worse, I was fairly sure I wanted to do it all again.


End file.
